Cattle livestock count heads in Namibia
Namibia: Cattle livestock count heads was 2.91 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
2.91 million
Change on year
down 3.6%
World rank
69th
of 197 countries
All-time high
3.17 million
in 2016
All-time low
1.84 million
in 1987
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Cattle livestock count heads in Namibia, 1961–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, cattle livestock count heads in Namibia stood at 2.91 million.
The figure is down 3.6% on the previous year and up 0.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cattle livestock count heads in Namibia peaked at 3.17 million in 2016 and was at its lowest, 1.84 million, in 1987.
Namibia ranks 69th of 197 countries on this measure, 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 Namibia, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2.12 million | — |
| 1962 | 2.30 million | +8.6% |
| 1963 | 2.28 million | -0.6% |
| 1964 | 2.29 million | +0.3% |
| 1965 | 2.30 million | +0.4% |
| 1966 | 2.33 million | +1.3% |
| 1967 | 2.35 million | +0.9% |
| 1968 | 2.40 million | +2.1% |
| 1969 | 2.45 million | +2.1% |
| 1970 | 2.50 million | +2.0% |
| 1971 | 2.55 million | +2.0% |
| 1972 | 2.60 million | +2.0% |
| 1973 | 2.65 million | +1.9% |
| 1974 | 2.98 million | +12.5% |
| 1975 | 1.85 million | -37.9% |
| 1976 | 1.95 million | +5.4% |
| 1977 | 2.22 million | +14.0% |
| 1978 | 2.25 million | +1.2% |
| 1979 | 2.39 million | +6.2% |
| 1980 | 2.48 million | +3.8% |
| 1981 | 2.08 million | -16.0% |
| 1982 | 1.92 million | -7.9% |
| 1983 | 1.86 million | -2.8% |
| 1984 | 1.88 million | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 1.87 million | -0.4% |
| 1986 | 1.99 million | +6.1% |
| 1987 | 1.84 million | -7.8% |
| 1988 | 1.97 million | +7.3% |
| 1989 | 2.01 million | +2.2% |
| 1990 | 2.09 million | +3.6% |
| 1991 | 2.21 million | +6.0% |
| 1992 | 2.21 million | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 2.07 million | -6.0% |
| 1994 | 2.04 million | -1.8% |
| 1995 | 2.03 million | -0.2% |
| 1996 | 1.99 million | -2.0% |
| 1997 | 2.06 million | +3.3% |
| 1998 | 2.19 million | +6.7% |
| 1999 | 2.29 million | +4.6% |
| 2000 | 2.50 million | +9.2% |
| 2001 | 2.51 million | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 2.33 million | -7.1% |
| 2003 | 2.34 million | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 2.31 million | -1.1% |
| 2005 | 3.13 million | +35.7% |
| 2006 | 2.38 million | -23.9% |
| 2007 | 2.35 million | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 2.54 million | +8.0% |
| 2009 | 2.47 million | -2.8% |
| 2010 | 2.40 million | -2.9% |
| 2011 | 2.35 million | -2.1% |
| 2012 | 2.90 million | +23.6% |
| 2013 | 2.63 million | -9.3% |
| 2014 | 2.88 million | +9.4% |
| 2015 | 2.77 million | -3.9% |
| 2016 | 3.17 million | +14.6% |
| 2017 | 2.95 million | -7.0% |
| 2018 | 2.83 million | -4.0% |
| 2019 | 2.81 million | -0.9% |
| 2020 | 2.52 million | -10.3% |
| 2021 | 2.59 million | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 3.12 million | +20.3% |
| 2023 | 3.02 million | -3.2% |
| 2024 | 2.91 million | -3.6% |
Namibia compared with similar countries
- Namibia's 2.91 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.73 million, 1.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Namibia's 2.91 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.41 million, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Cattle livestock count heads in Namibia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | -37.9% | 2.98 million | 1.85 million |
| 2005 | +35.7% | 2.31 million | 3.13 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.31 million | 2.12 million | 2.45 million | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.39 million | 1.85 million | 2.98 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.99 million | 1.84 million | 2.48 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.12 million | 1.99 million | 2.29 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.49 million | 2.31 million | 3.13 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.77 million | 2.35 million | 3.17 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.83 million | 2.52 million | 3.12 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near Namibia
More agriculture & rural data for Namibia
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate 0.0369 % change on previous year (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0001 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per capita 0.5257 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate 0.0015 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0026 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 12.81 hectares per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 8 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0699 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 340.78 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 1.13 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cattle livestock count heads in Namibia?
- Cattle livestock count heads in Namibia was 2.91 million in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cattle livestock count heads recorded in Namibia?
- The highest recorded value was 3.17 million in 2016.
- What is the lowest cattle livestock count heads recorded in Namibia?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.84 million in 1987.
- How does Namibia rank for cattle livestock count heads?
- Namibia ranks 69th out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cattle livestock count heads rising or falling in Namibia?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Namibia 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).