Number of cattle in Libya
Libya: Number of cattle was 208,931 animals in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
208,931 animals
Change on year
down 1.1%
World rank
142nd
of 197 countries
All-time high
250,000 animals
in 1990
All-time low
101,143 animals
in 1971
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Number of cattle in Libya, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in animals.
Analysis
Libya recorded 208,931 animals for number of cattle in 2024.
That represents a change of down 1.1% on the previous year and up 4.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of cattle in Libya peaked at 250,000 animals in 1990 and was at its lowest, 101,143 animals, in 1971.
That places Libya 142nd 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 Libya, year by year
| Year | animals | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 103,970 animals | — |
| 1962 | 105,135 animals | +1.1% |
| 1963 | 106,300 animals | +1.1% |
| 1964 | 107,565 animals | +1.2% |
| 1965 | 108,634 animals | +1.0% |
| 1966 | 109,958 animals | +1.2% |
| 1967 | 116,222 animals | +5.7% |
| 1968 | 118,557 animals | +2.0% |
| 1969 | 104,662 animals | -11.7% |
| 1970 | 107,870 animals | +3.1% |
| 1971 | 101,143 animals | -6.2% |
| 1972 | 105,705 animals | +4.5% |
| 1973 | 120,750 animals | +14.2% |
| 1974 | 150,285 animals | +24.5% |
| 1975 | 189,170 animals | +25.9% |
| 1976 | 195,788 animals | +3.5% |
| 1977 | 179,379 animals | -8.4% |
| 1978 | 183,300 animals | +2.2% |
| 1979 | 180,880 animals | -1.3% |
| 1980 | 156,000 animals | -13.8% |
| 1981 | 132,000 animals | -15.4% |
| 1982 | 130,000 animals | -1.5% |
| 1983 | 170,000 animals | +30.8% |
| 1984 | 190,000 animals | +11.8% |
| 1985 | 200,000 animals | +5.3% |
| 1986 | 210,000 animals | +5.0% |
| 1987 | 220,000 animals | +4.8% |
| 1988 | 230,000 animals | +4.5% |
| 1989 | 240,000 animals | +4.3% |
| 1990 | 250,000 animals | +4.2% |
| 1991 | 225,000 animals | -10.0% |
| 1992 | 180,000 animals | -20.0% |
| 1993 | 155,000 animals | -13.9% |
| 1994 | 140,000 animals | -9.7% |
| 1995 | 145,000 animals | +3.6% |
| 1996 | 145,000 animals | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 142,000 animals | -2.1% |
| 1998 | 140,000 animals | -1.4% |
| 1999 | 138,000 animals | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 130,210 animals | -5.6% |
| 2001 | 130,210 animals | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 135,000 animals | +3.7% |
| 2003 | 137,000 animals | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 145,000 animals | +5.8% |
| 2005 | 150,000 animals | +3.4% |
| 2006 | 185,000 animals | +23.3% |
| 2007 | 185,000 animals | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 185,000 animals | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 190,000 animals | +2.7% |
| 2010 | 195,000 animals | +2.6% |
| 2011 | 197,000 animals | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 198,000 animals | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 198,500 animals | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 200,000 animals | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 201,376 animals | +0.7% |
| 2016 | 202,849 animals | +0.7% |
| 2017 | 204,196 animals | +0.7% |
| 2018 | 225,140 animals | +10.3% |
| 2019 | 229,890 animals | +2.1% |
| 2020 | 218,260 animals | -5.1% |
| 2021 | 199,610 animals | -8.5% |
| 2022 | 215,920 animals | +8.2% |
| 2023 | 211,263 animals | -2.2% |
| 2024 | 208,931 animals | -1.1% |
Libya compared with similar countries
- Libya's 208,931 animals is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 918,057 animals, 23% of the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Libya's 208,931 animals is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 477,958 animals, 44% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Number of cattle in Libya 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | +30.8% | 130,000 animals | 170,000 animals |
| 1975 | +25.9% | 150,285 animals | 189,170 animals |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 109,000 animals | 103,970 animals | 118,557 animals | 9 |
| 1970s | 151,427 animals | 101,143 animals | 195,788 animals | 10 |
| 1980s | 187,800 animals | 130,000 animals | 240,000 animals | 10 |
| 1990s | 166,000 animals | 138,000 animals | 250,000 animals | 10 |
| 2000s | 157,242 animals | 130,210 animals | 190,000 animals | 10 |
| 2010s | 205,195 animals | 195,000 animals | 229,890 animals | 10 |
| 2020s | 210,797 animals | 199,610 animals | 218,260 animals | 5 |
Countries ranked near Libya
- 139 East Timor 238,902 animals compare
- 140 Estonia 232,390 animals compare
- 141 Puerto Rico 218,598 animals compare
- 143 Luxembourg 180,530 animals compare
- 144 Taiwan 155,741 animals compare
- 145 Jamaica 153,169 animals compare
More agriculture & rural data for Libya
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -37.76 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.015 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 96.79 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.835 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1209 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 1.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 1.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.0% (2019)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.4% (2019)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of cattle in Libya?
- Number of cattle in Libya was 208,931 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 Libya?
- The highest recorded value was 250,000 animals in 1990.
- What is the lowest number of cattle recorded in Libya?
- The lowest recorded value was 101,143 animals in 1971.
- How does Libya rank for number of cattle?
- Libya ranks 142nd out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is number of cattle rising or falling in Libya?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Libya 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).