Number of cattle in Malta
Malta: Number of cattle was 13,800 animals in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
13,800 animals
Change on year
down 3.0%
World rank
176th
of 197 countries
All-time high
22,000 animals
in 1991
All-time low
6,731 animals
in 1963
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Number of cattle in Malta, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in animals.
Analysis
Malta recorded 13,800 animals for number of cattle in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.0% on the previous year and down 7.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of cattle in Malta peaked at 22,000 animals in 1991 and was at its lowest, 6,731 animals, in 1963.
That places Malta 176th out of 197 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Number of cattle in Malta, year by year
| Year | animals | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 8,090 animals | — |
| 1962 | 8,000 animals | -1.1% |
| 1963 | 6,731 animals | -15.9% |
| 1964 | 7,987 animals | +18.7% |
| 1965 | 7,258 animals | -9.1% |
| 1966 | 8,137 animals | +12.1% |
| 1967 | 8,849 animals | +8.8% |
| 1968 | 9,850 animals | +11.3% |
| 1969 | 8,849 animals | -10.2% |
| 1970 | 8,841 animals | -0.1% |
| 1971 | 9,590 animals | +8.5% |
| 1972 | 9,049 animals | -5.6% |
| 1973 | 9,856 animals | +8.9% |
| 1974 | 10,035 animals | +1.8% |
| 1975 | 11,195 animals | +11.6% |
| 1976 | 14,449 animals | +29.1% |
| 1977 | 15,004 animals | +3.8% |
| 1978 | 14,052 animals | -6.3% |
| 1979 | 13,701 animals | -2.5% |
| 1980 | 14,210 animals | +3.7% |
| 1981 | 11,385 animals | -19.9% |
| 1982 | 12,087 animals | +6.2% |
| 1983 | 12,794 animals | +5.8% |
| 1984 | 14,000 animals | +9.4% |
| 1985 | 14,000 animals | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 16,000 animals | +14.3% |
| 1987 | 18,000 animals | +12.5% |
| 1988 | 19,000 animals | +5.6% |
| 1989 | 20,540 animals | +8.1% |
| 1990 | 21,000 animals | +2.2% |
| 1991 | 22,000 animals | +4.8% |
| 1992 | 22,000 animals | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 21,500 animals | -2.3% |
| 1994 | 19,800 animals | -7.9% |
| 1995 | 18,500 animals | -6.6% |
| 1996 | 21,000 animals | +13.5% |
| 1997 | 21,000 animals | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 19,000 animals | -9.5% |
| 1999 | 20,000 animals | +5.3% |
| 2000 | 19,200 animals | -4.0% |
| 2001 | 19,200 animals | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 19,003 animals | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 18,770 animals | -1.2% |
| 2004 | 17,940 animals | -4.4% |
| 2005 | 19,408 animals | +8.2% |
| 2006 | 19,742 animals | +1.7% |
| 2007 | 19,233 animals | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 19,442 animals | +1.1% |
| 2009 | 16,264 animals | -16.3% |
| 2010 | 14,954 animals | -8.1% |
| 2011 | 15,074 animals | +0.8% |
| 2012 | 15,593 animals | +3.4% |
| 2013 | 15,220 animals | -2.4% |
| 2014 | 14,883 animals | -2.2% |
| 2015 | 15,020 animals | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 14,356 animals | -4.4% |
| 2017 | 14,184 animals | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 14,120 animals | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 14,000 animals | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 14,290 animals | +2.1% |
| 2021 | 14,020 animals | -1.9% |
| 2022 | 14,200 animals | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 14,230 animals | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 13,800 animals | -3.0% |
Malta compared with similar countries
- Malta's 13,800 animals is below the median for high income countries, which is 595,200 animals, 2% of the median. (63 countries reporting)
- Malta's 13,800 animals is below the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 477,958 animals, 3% of the median. (23 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 8,195 animals | 6,731 animals | 9,850 animals | 9 |
| 1970s | 11,577 animals | 8,841 animals | 15,004 animals | 10 |
| 1980s | 15,202 animals | 11,385 animals | 20,540 animals | 10 |
| 1990s | 20,580 animals | 18,500 animals | 22,000 animals | 10 |
| 2000s | 18,820 animals | 16,264 animals | 19,742 animals | 10 |
| 2010s | 14,740 animals | 14,000 animals | 15,593 animals | 10 |
| 2020s | 14,108 animals | 13,800 animals | 14,290 animals | 5 |
Countries ranked near Malta
- 173 Micronesia (country) 18,180 animals compare
- 174 Solomon Islands 15,381 animals compare
- 175 Dominica 13,873 animals compare
- 177 French Guiana 13,386 animals compare
- 178 Tonga 12,196 animals compare
- 179 Barbados 11,241 animals compare
More agriculture & rural data for Malta
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 6.05 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0047 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 224.75 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.0432 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.5% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.5% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 0.1% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.2% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of cattle in Malta?
- Number of cattle in Malta was 13,800 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 Malta?
- The highest recorded value was 22,000 animals in 1991.
- What is the lowest number of cattle recorded in Malta?
- The lowest recorded value was 6,731 animals in 1963.
- How does Malta rank for number of cattle?
- Malta ranks 176th out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is number of cattle rising or falling in Malta?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Malta 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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