Cattle livestock count heads in Kenya
Kenya: Cattle livestock count heads was 22.44 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
22.44 million
Change on year
up 2.5%
World rank
16th
of 197 countries
All-time high
26.77 million
in 2020
All-time low
6.80 million
in 1963
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Cattle livestock count heads in Kenya, 1961–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Kenya recorded 22.44 million for cattle livestock count heads in 2024.
The figure is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 23.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cattle livestock count heads in Kenya peaked at 26.77 million in 2020 and was at its lowest, 6.80 million, in 1963.
Kenya ranks 16th of 197 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Cattle livestock count heads in Kenya, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 7.20 million | — |
| 1962 | 7.37 million | +2.3% |
| 1963 | 6.80 million | -7.7% |
| 1964 | 7.40 million | +8.8% |
| 1965 | 7.50 million | +1.4% |
| 1966 | 7.74 million | +3.2% |
| 1967 | 7.73 million | -0.1% |
| 1968 | 7.75 million | +0.3% |
| 1969 | 7.80 million | +0.6% |
| 1970 | 8.60 million | +10.3% |
| 1971 | 8.90 million | +3.5% |
| 1972 | 9.20 million | +3.4% |
| 1973 | 9.38 million | +2.0% |
| 1974 | 9.62 million | +2.5% |
| 1975 | 9.71 million | +1.0% |
| 1976 | 9.50 million | -2.2% |
| 1977 | 9.40 million | -1.1% |
| 1978 | 10.20 million | +8.5% |
| 1979 | 11.45 million | +12.3% |
| 1980 | 10.00 million | -12.7% |
| 1981 | 9.80 million | -2.0% |
| 1982 | 11.00 million | +12.2% |
| 1983 | 12.50 million | +13.6% |
| 1984 | 13.08 million | +4.7% |
| 1985 | 12.50 million | -4.4% |
| 1986 | 12.60 million | +0.8% |
| 1987 | 12.64 million | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 13.05 million | +3.2% |
| 1989 | 13.46 million | +3.1% |
| 1990 | 13.79 million | +2.5% |
| 1991 | 13.07 million | -5.2% |
| 1992 | 13.00 million | -0.6% |
| 1993 | 13.00 million | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 13.00 million | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 12.78 million | -1.7% |
| 1996 | 11.51 million | -9.9% |
| 1997 | 11.41 million | -0.9% |
| 1998 | 11.69 million | +2.4% |
| 1999 | 12.79 million | +9.4% |
| 2000 | 11.44 million | -10.5% |
| 2001 | 11.48 million | +0.3% |
| 2002 | 11.94 million | +4.0% |
| 2003 | 12.53 million | +5.0% |
| 2004 | 13.02 million | +3.9% |
| 2005 | 13.02 million | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 12.42 million | -4.6% |
| 2007 | 17.54 million | +41.2% |
| 2008 | 18.38 million | +4.8% |
| 2009 | 17.47 million | -5.0% |
| 2010 | 17.86 million | +2.3% |
| 2011 | 18.17 million | +1.7% |
| 2012 | 19.13 million | +5.3% |
| 2013 | 18.14 million | -5.2% |
| 2014 | 18.25 million | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 18.73 million | +2.6% |
| 2016 | 20.53 million | +9.6% |
| 2017 | 18.34 million | -10.7% |
| 2018 | 19.64 million | +7.1% |
| 2019 | 20.88 million | +6.4% |
| 2020 | 26.77 million | +28.2% |
| 2021 | 22.85 million | -14.6% |
| 2022 | 20.83 million | -8.9% |
| 2023 | 21.88 million | +5.0% |
| 2024 | 22.44 million | +2.5% |
Kenya compared with similar countries
- Kenya's 22.44 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.73 million, 8.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Kenya's 22.44 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.41 million, 9.3× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cattle livestock count heads in Kenya changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | +41.2% | 12.42 million | 17.54 million |
| 2020 | +28.2% | 20.88 million | 26.77 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7.48 million | 6.80 million | 7.80 million | 9 |
| 1970s | 9.60 million | 8.60 million | 11.45 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 12.06 million | 9.80 million | 13.46 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.60 million | 11.41 million | 13.79 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.92 million | 11.44 million | 18.38 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 18.97 million | 17.86 million | 20.88 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 22.95 million | 20.83 million | 26.77 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near Kenya
More agriculture & rural data for Kenya
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate -0.9835 % change on previous year (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0001 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per capita 0.1186 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate -0.2405 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0002 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 0.4888 hectares per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 16.52 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2316 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 547.24 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.47 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cattle livestock count heads in Kenya?
- Cattle livestock count heads in Kenya was 22.44 million in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cattle livestock count heads recorded in Kenya?
- The highest recorded value was 26.77 million in 2020.
- What is the lowest cattle livestock count heads recorded in Kenya?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.80 million in 1963.
- How does Kenya rank for cattle livestock count heads?
- Kenya ranks 16th out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cattle livestock count heads rising or falling in Kenya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 23.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Kenya 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).