Cattle livestock count heads in Malawi
Malawi: Cattle livestock count heads was 2.31 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
2.31 million
Change on year
up 5.5%
World rank
82nd
of 197 countries
All-time high
2.31 million
in 2024
All-time low
374,762
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Cattle livestock count heads in Malawi, 1961–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, cattle livestock count heads in Malawi stood at 2.31 million. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
That represents a change of up 5.5% on the previous year and up 75.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cattle livestock count heads in Malawi peaked at 2.31 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 374,762, in 1961.
That places Malawi 82nd 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 Malawi, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 374,762 | — |
| 1962 | 380,387 | +1.5% |
| 1963 | 396,145 | +4.1% |
| 1964 | 411,400 | +3.9% |
| 1965 | 432,293 | +5.1% |
| 1966 | 432,293 | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 450,128 | +4.1% |
| 1968 | 464,006 | +3.1% |
| 1969 | 479,916 | +3.4% |
| 1970 | 491,459 | +2.4% |
| 1971 | 491,517 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 540,865 | +10.0% |
| 1973 | 572,905 | +5.9% |
| 1974 | 625,987 | +9.3% |
| 1975 | 648,533 | +3.6% |
| 1976 | 700,471 | +8.0% |
| 1977 | 718,544 | +2.6% |
| 1978 | 744,074 | +3.6% |
| 1979 | 789,533 | +6.1% |
| 1980 | 789,529 | -0.0% |
| 1981 | 870,576 | +10.3% |
| 1982 | 887,032 | +1.9% |
| 1983 | 907,959 | +2.4% |
| 1984 | 948,519 | +4.5% |
| 1985 | 1.02 million | +7.5% |
| 1986 | 1.01 million | -0.9% |
| 1987 | 1.06 million | +4.4% |
| 1988 | 859,505 | -18.5% |
| 1989 | 850,000 | -1.1% |
| 1990 | 838,552 | -1.3% |
| 1991 | 807,613 | -3.7% |
| 1992 | 813,576 | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 796,728 | -2.1% |
| 1994 | 748,891 | -6.0% |
| 1995 | 745,830 | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 700,096 | -6.1% |
| 1997 | 598,175 | -14.6% |
| 1998 | 715,391 | +19.6% |
| 1999 | 711,675 | -0.5% |
| 2000 | 763,724 | +7.3% |
| 2001 | 749,029 | -1.9% |
| 2002 | 753,075 | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 781,747 | +3.8% |
| 2004 | 765,000 | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 777,846 | +1.7% |
| 2006 | 799,017 | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 870,622 | +9.0% |
| 2008 | 947,498 | +8.8% |
| 2009 | 982,921 | +3.7% |
| 2010 | 1.07 million | +8.8% |
| 2011 | 1.11 million | +3.8% |
| 2012 | 1.16 million | +4.9% |
| 2013 | 1.24 million | +6.6% |
| 2014 | 1.32 million | +6.0% |
| 2015 | 1.40 million | +6.2% |
| 2016 | 1.47 million | +5.2% |
| 2017 | 1.51 million | +2.5% |
| 2018 | 1.66 million | +9.8% |
| 2019 | 1.87 million | +12.8% |
| 2020 | 1.95 million | +4.2% |
| 2021 | 1.96 million | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 2.05 million | +4.9% |
| 2023 | 2.19 million | +6.5% |
| 2024 | 2.31 million | +5.5% |
Malawi compared with similar countries
- Malawi's 2.31 million is below the median for low income countries, which is 2.47 million, 94% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- Malawi's 2.31 million is below the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.41 million, 96% of the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 424,592 | 374,762 | 479,916 | 9 |
| 1970s | 632,389 | 491,459 | 789,533 | 10 |
| 1980s | 919,892 | 789,529 | 1.06 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 747,653 | 598,175 | 838,552 | 10 |
| 2000s | 819,048 | 749,029 | 982,921 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.38 million | 1.07 million | 1.87 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.09 million | 1.95 million | 2.31 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malawi
More agriculture & rural data for Malawi
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate 1.1 % change on previous year (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0003 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per capita 0.1965 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate 0.7718 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0004 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 0.2798 hectares per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 24.6 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.3003 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 201.66 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 2.19 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cattle livestock count heads in Malawi?
- Cattle livestock count heads in Malawi was 2.31 million in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cattle livestock count heads recorded in Malawi?
- The highest recorded value was 2.31 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest cattle livestock count heads recorded in Malawi?
- The lowest recorded value was 374,762 in 1961.
- How does Malawi rank for cattle livestock count heads?
- Malawi ranks 82nd out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cattle livestock count heads rising or falling in Malawi?
- Over the last ten years it is up 75.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malawi 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).