Number of cattle in Germany
Germany: Number of cattle was 10.46 million animals in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
10.46 million animals
Change on year
down 3.5%
World rank
34th
of 197 countries
All-time high
21.54 million animals
in 1985
All-time low
10.46 million animals
in 2024
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Number of cattle in Germany, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in animals.
Analysis
Germany recorded 10.46 million animals for number of cattle in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 64 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.5% on the previous year and down 17.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of cattle in Germany peaked at 21.54 million animals in 1985 and was at its lowest, 10.46 million animals, in 2024.
Germany ranks 34th of 197 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Number of cattle in Germany, year by year
| Year | animals | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 17.54 million animals | — |
| 1962 | 17.82 million animals | +1.6% |
| 1963 | 17.86 million animals | +0.2% |
| 1964 | 17.63 million animals | -1.3% |
| 1965 | 17.74 million animals | +0.6% |
| 1966 | 18.44 million animals | +4.0% |
| 1967 | 18.89 million animals | +2.4% |
| 1968 | 19.00 million animals | +0.6% |
| 1969 | 19.17 million animals | +0.9% |
| 1970 | 19.46 million animals | +1.5% |
| 1971 | 19.22 million animals | -1.2% |
| 1972 | 18.93 million animals | -1.5% |
| 1973 | 19.27 million animals | +1.8% |
| 1974 | 19.85 million animals | +3.0% |
| 1975 | 20.01 million animals | +0.9% |
| 1976 | 20.02 million animals | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 19.97 million animals | -0.3% |
| 1978 | 20.31 million animals | +1.7% |
| 1979 | 20.58 million animals | +1.3% |
| 1980 | 20.65 million animals | +0.3% |
| 1981 | 20.79 million animals | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 20.74 million animals | -0.2% |
| 1983 | 20.79 million animals | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 21.32 million animals | +2.6% |
| 1985 | 21.54 million animals | +1.0% |
| 1986 | 21.45 million animals | -0.4% |
| 1987 | 21.11 million animals | -1.6% |
| 1988 | 20.61 million animals | -2.4% |
| 1989 | 20.37 million animals | -1.2% |
| 1990 | 20.29 million animals | -0.4% |
| 1991 | 19.49 million animals | -3.9% |
| 1992 | 17.13 million animals | -12.1% |
| 1993 | 16.21 million animals | -5.4% |
| 1994 | 15.90 million animals | -1.9% |
| 1995 | 15.96 million animals | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 15.89 million animals | -0.5% |
| 1997 | 15.76 million animals | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 15.23 million animals | -3.4% |
| 1999 | 14.94 million animals | -1.9% |
| 2000 | 14.66 million animals | -1.9% |
| 2001 | 14.57 million animals | -0.6% |
| 2002 | 14.23 million animals | -2.3% |
| 2003 | 13.64 million animals | -4.1% |
| 2004 | 13.20 million animals | -3.3% |
| 2005 | 13.03 million animals | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 12.75 million animals | -2.2% |
| 2007 | 12.69 million animals | -0.5% |
| 2008 | 12.97 million animals | +2.2% |
| 2009 | 12.94 million animals | -0.2% |
| 2010 | 12.81 million animals | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 12.56 million animals | -1.9% |
| 2012 | 12.48 million animals | -0.7% |
| 2013 | 12.59 million animals | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 12.74 million animals | +1.2% |
| 2015 | 12.64 million animals | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 12.47 million animals | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 12.28 million animals | -1.5% |
| 2018 | 11.95 million animals | -2.7% |
| 2019 | 11.64 million animals | -2.6% |
| 2020 | 11.30 million animals | -2.9% |
| 2021 | 11.04 million animals | -2.3% |
| 2022 | 11.00 million animals | -0.4% |
| 2023 | 10.84 million animals | -1.5% |
| 2024 | 10.46 million animals | -3.5% |
Germany compared with similar countries
- Germany's 10.46 million animals is above the median for high income countries, which is 595,200 animals, 17.6× the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Germany's 10.46 million animals is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 1.40 million animals, 7.5× the median. (49 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 18.23 million animals | 17.54 million animals | 19.17 million animals | 9 |
| 1970s | 19.76 million animals | 18.93 million animals | 20.58 million animals | 10 |
| 1980s | 20.94 million animals | 20.37 million animals | 21.54 million animals | 10 |
| 1990s | 16.68 million animals | 14.94 million animals | 20.29 million animals | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.47 million animals | 12.69 million animals | 14.66 million animals | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.42 million animals | 11.64 million animals | 12.81 million animals | 10 |
| 2020s | 10.93 million animals | 10.46 million animals | 11.30 million animals | 5 |
Countries ranked near Germany
- 31 Bolivia 11.25 million animals compare
- 32 Canada 10.98 million animals compare
- 33 Myanmar 10.80 million animals compare
- 35 Burkina Faso 10.28 million animals compare
- 36 New Zealand 9.52 million animals compare
- 37 United Kingdom 9.41 million animals compare
More agriculture & rural data for Germany
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.73 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0087 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 527.18 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.6813 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1786 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.9% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.9% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.7% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.1% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of cattle in Germany?
- Number of cattle in Germany was 10.46 million animals in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of cattle recorded in Germany?
- The highest recorded value was 21.54 million animals in 1985.
- What is the lowest number of cattle recorded in Germany?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.46 million animals in 2024.
- How does Germany rank for number of cattle?
- Germany ranks 34th out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is number of cattle rising or falling in Germany?
- Over the last ten years it is down 17.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Germany data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of cattle. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).