Cattle livestock count heads in Lesotho
Lesotho: Cattle livestock count heads was 517,450 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
517,450
Change on year
down 22.8%
World rank
123rd
of 197 countries
All-time high
755,134
in 1999
All-time low
278,940
in 1966
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Cattle livestock count heads in Lesotho, 1961–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for cattle livestock count heads in Lesotho is 517,450, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 22.8% on the previous year and down 4.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cattle livestock count heads in Lesotho peaked at 755,134 in 1999 and was at its lowest, 278,940, in 1966.
That places Lesotho 123rd out of 197 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Cattle livestock count heads in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 376,740 | — |
| 1962 | 386,342 | +2.5% |
| 1963 | 336,146 | -13.0% |
| 1964 | 308,000 | -8.4% |
| 1965 | 418,951 | +36.0% |
| 1966 | 278,940 | -33.4% |
| 1967 | 375,709 | +34.7% |
| 1968 | 442,582 | +17.8% |
| 1969 | 474,356 | +7.2% |
| 1970 | 551,522 | +16.3% |
| 1971 | 470,000 | -14.8% |
| 1972 | 440,000 | -6.4% |
| 1973 | 441,700 | +0.4% |
| 1974 | 465,500 | +5.4% |
| 1975 | 512,400 | +10.1% |
| 1976 | 505,400 | -1.4% |
| 1977 | 485,500 | -3.9% |
| 1978 | 526,151 | +8.4% |
| 1979 | 560,327 | +6.5% |
| 1980 | 593,929 | +6.0% |
| 1981 | 589,976 | -0.7% |
| 1982 | 562,372 | -4.7% |
| 1983 | 537,517 | -4.4% |
| 1984 | 529,125 | -1.6% |
| 1985 | 522,125 | -1.3% |
| 1986 | 524,675 | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 625,270 | +19.2% |
| 1988 | 627,195 | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 583,260 | -7.0% |
| 1990 | 523,244 | -10.3% |
| 1991 | 542,399 | +3.7% |
| 1992 | 699,000 | +28.9% |
| 1993 | 658,305 | -5.8% |
| 1994 | 577,975 | -12.2% |
| 1995 | 580,230 | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 539,000 | -7.1% |
| 1997 | 601,410 | +11.6% |
| 1998 | 495,614 | -17.6% |
| 1999 | 755,134 | +52.4% |
| 2000 | 709,884 | -6.0% |
| 2001 | 732,191 | +3.1% |
| 2002 | 644,550 | -12.0% |
| 2003 | 682,488 | +5.9% |
| 2004 | 677,215 | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 729,327 | +7.7% |
| 2006 | 687,588 | -5.7% |
| 2007 | 687,588 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 616,159 | -10.4% |
| 2009 | 616,562 | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 626,343 | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 635,000 | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 650,000 | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 548,042 | -15.7% |
| 2014 | 540,133 | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 508,344 | -5.9% |
| 2016 | 494,007 | -2.8% |
| 2017 | 461,573 | -6.6% |
| 2018 | 453,297 | -1.8% |
| 2019 | 360,602 | -20.4% |
| 2020 | 330,726 | -8.3% |
| 2021 | 288,664 | -12.7% |
| 2022 | 593,664 | +105.7% |
| 2023 | 670,022 | +12.9% |
| 2024 | 517,450 | -22.8% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 517,450 is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.73 million, 19% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 517,450 is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.41 million, 21% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cattle livestock count heads in Lesotho 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +105.7% | 288,664 | 593,664 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 377,530 | 278,940 | 474,356 | 9 |
| 1970s | 495,850 | 440,000 | 560,327 | 10 |
| 1980s | 569,544 | 522,125 | 627,195 | 10 |
| 1990s | 597,231 | 495,614 | 755,134 | 10 |
| 2000s | 678,355 | 616,159 | 732,191 | 10 |
| 2010s | 527,734 | 360,602 | 650,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 480,105 | 288,664 | 670,022 | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More agriculture & rural data for Lesotho
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate -0.0139 % change on previous year (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0002 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per capita 0.1831 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate -0.0072 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0003 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 0.3524 hectares per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 5.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0649 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 70.63 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.6715 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cattle livestock count heads in Lesotho?
- Cattle livestock count heads in Lesotho was 517,450 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cattle livestock count heads recorded in Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 755,134 in 1999.
- What is the lowest cattle livestock count heads recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 278,940 in 1966.
- How does Lesotho rank for cattle livestock count heads?
- Lesotho ranks 123rd out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cattle livestock count heads rising or falling in Lesotho?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Lesotho 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).