Cattle livestock count heads in Ireland
Ireland: Cattle livestock count heads was 6.31 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Cattle livestock count heads in Ireland, 1961–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for cattle livestock count heads in Ireland is 6.31 million, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 3.3% on the previous year and down 8.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cattle livestock count heads in Ireland peaked at 7.36 million in 2017 and was at its lowest, 4.18 million, in 1962.
That places Ireland 40th out of 196 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.65 million | 4.18 million | 5.15 million | 9 |
| 1970s | 5.98 million | 5.23 million | 6.50 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.81 million | 5.63 million | 6.17 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.40 million | 5.97 million | 6.95 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.97 million | 6.89 million | 7.05 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 6.84 million | 6.49 million | 7.36 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.51 million | 6.31 million | 6.65 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More agriculture & rural data for Ireland
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 7.63 billion current US$ (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added 1.1% (2025)
- Rural population 1.94 million (2025)
- Rural population growth 1.0% (2025)
- Rural population 35.4% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.5% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.3% (2024)
- Value added in the agricultural sector as of gdp vs gdp per capita 1.06 (2025)
- Agriculture share gdp 1.06 (2025)
- Land under cereal production 258,930 hectares (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cattle livestock count heads in Ireland?
- Cattle livestock count heads in Ireland was 6.31 million in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cattle livestock count heads recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 7.36 million in 2017.
- What is the lowest cattle livestock count heads recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.18 million in 1962.
- How does Ireland rank for cattle livestock count heads?
- Ireland ranks 40th out of 196 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cattle livestock count heads rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Cattle livestock count heads. 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).