Number of cattle in Lesotho
Lesotho: Number of cattle was 517,450 animals in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
517,450 animals
Change on year
down 22.8%
World rank
123rd
of 197 countries
All-time high
755,134 animals
in 1999
All-time low
278,940 animals
in 1966
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Number of cattle in Lesotho, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in animals.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of cattle in Lesotho is 517,450 animals, 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, number of cattle in Lesotho peaked at 755,134 animals in 1999 and was at its lowest, 278,940 animals, 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.
Number of cattle in Lesotho, year by year
| Year | animals | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 376,740 animals | — |
| 1962 | 386,342 animals | +2.5% |
| 1963 | 336,146 animals | -13.0% |
| 1964 | 308,000 animals | -8.4% |
| 1965 | 418,951 animals | +36.0% |
| 1966 | 278,940 animals | -33.4% |
| 1967 | 375,709 animals | +34.7% |
| 1968 | 442,582 animals | +17.8% |
| 1969 | 474,356 animals | +7.2% |
| 1970 | 551,522 animals | +16.3% |
| 1971 | 470,000 animals | -14.8% |
| 1972 | 440,000 animals | -6.4% |
| 1973 | 441,700 animals | +0.4% |
| 1974 | 465,500 animals | +5.4% |
| 1975 | 512,400 animals | +10.1% |
| 1976 | 505,400 animals | -1.4% |
| 1977 | 485,500 animals | -3.9% |
| 1978 | 526,151 animals | +8.4% |
| 1979 | 560,327 animals | +6.5% |
| 1980 | 593,929 animals | +6.0% |
| 1981 | 589,976 animals | -0.7% |
| 1982 | 562,372 animals | -4.7% |
| 1983 | 537,517 animals | -4.4% |
| 1984 | 529,125 animals | -1.6% |
| 1985 | 522,125 animals | -1.3% |
| 1986 | 524,675 animals | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 625,270 animals | +19.2% |
| 1988 | 627,195 animals | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 583,260 animals | -7.0% |
| 1990 | 523,244 animals | -10.3% |
| 1991 | 542,399 animals | +3.7% |
| 1992 | 699,000 animals | +28.9% |
| 1993 | 658,305 animals | -5.8% |
| 1994 | 577,975 animals | -12.2% |
| 1995 | 580,230 animals | +0.4% |
| 1996 | 539,000 animals | -7.1% |
| 1997 | 601,410 animals | +11.6% |
| 1998 | 495,614 animals | -17.6% |
| 1999 | 755,134 animals | +52.4% |
| 2000 | 709,884 animals | -6.0% |
| 2001 | 732,191 animals | +3.1% |
| 2002 | 644,550 animals | -12.0% |
| 2003 | 682,488 animals | +5.9% |
| 2004 | 677,215 animals | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 729,327 animals | +7.7% |
| 2006 | 687,588 animals | -5.7% |
| 2007 | 687,588 animals | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 616,159 animals | -10.4% |
| 2009 | 616,562 animals | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 626,343 animals | +1.6% |
| 2011 | 635,000 animals | +1.4% |
| 2012 | 650,000 animals | +2.4% |
| 2013 | 548,042 animals | -15.7% |
| 2014 | 540,133 animals | -1.4% |
| 2015 | 508,344 animals | -5.9% |
| 2016 | 494,007 animals | -2.8% |
| 2017 | 461,573 animals | -6.6% |
| 2018 | 453,297 animals | -1.8% |
| 2019 | 360,602 animals | -20.4% |
| 2020 | 330,726 animals | -8.3% |
| 2021 | 288,664 animals | -12.7% |
| 2022 | 593,664 animals | +105.7% |
| 2023 | 670,022 animals | +12.9% |
| 2024 | 517,450 animals | -22.8% |
Lesotho compared with similar countries
- Lesotho's 517,450 animals is below the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.73 million animals, 19% of the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Lesotho's 517,450 animals is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.41 million animals, 21% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Number of cattle 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 animals | 593,664 animals |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 377,530 animals | 278,940 animals | 474,356 animals | 9 |
| 1970s | 495,850 animals | 440,000 animals | 560,327 animals | 10 |
| 1980s | 569,544 animals | 522,125 animals | 627,195 animals | 10 |
| 1990s | 597,231 animals | 495,614 animals | 755,134 animals | 10 |
| 2000s | 678,355 animals | 616,159 animals | 732,191 animals | 10 |
| 2010s | 527,734 animals | 360,602 animals | 650,000 animals | 10 |
| 2020s | 480,105 animals | 288,664 animals | 670,022 animals | 5 |
Countries ranked near Lesotho
More agriculture & rural data for Lesotho
- 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)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0005 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.5533 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 6.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 6.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 5.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 2.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of cattle in Lesotho?
- Number of cattle in Lesotho was 517,450 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 Lesotho?
- The highest recorded value was 755,134 animals in 1999.
- What is the lowest number of cattle recorded in Lesotho?
- The lowest recorded value was 278,940 animals in 1966.
- How does Lesotho rank for number of cattle?
- Lesotho ranks 123rd out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is number of cattle 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 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
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