Cattle livestock count heads in New Zealand
New Zealand: Cattle livestock count heads was 9.52 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
9.52 million
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
36th
of 195 countries
All-time high
10.37 million
in 2014
All-time low
6.45 million
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Cattle livestock count heads in New Zealand, 1961–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, cattle livestock count heads in New Zealand stood at 9.52 million.
The figure is down 0.2% on the previous year and down 8.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cattle livestock count heads in New Zealand peaked at 10.37 million in 2014 and was at its lowest, 6.45 million, in 1961.
New Zealand ranks 36th of 195 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Cattle livestock count heads in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 6.45 million | — |
| 1962 | 6.60 million | +2.4% |
| 1963 | 6.69 million | +1.4% |
| 1964 | 6.70 million | +0.1% |
| 1965 | 6.80 million | +1.6% |
| 1966 | 7.22 million | +6.1% |
| 1967 | 7.75 million | +7.3% |
| 1968 | 8.25 million | +6.5% |
| 1969 | 8.60 million | +4.3% |
| 1970 | 8.78 million | +2.0% |
| 1971 | 7.99 million | -8.9% |
| 1972 | 8.63 million | +8.0% |
| 1973 | 8.92 million | +3.4% |
| 1974 | 9.31 million | +4.3% |
| 1975 | 9.29 million | -0.2% |
| 1976 | 9.02 million | -3.0% |
| 1977 | 8.74 million | -3.1% |
| 1978 | 8.42 million | -3.7% |
| 1979 | 8.02 million | -4.7% |
| 1980 | 8.13 million | +1.4% |
| 1981 | 8.04 million | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 7.91 million | -1.5% |
| 1983 | 7.63 million | -3.6% |
| 1984 | 7.78 million | +1.9% |
| 1985 | 7.92 million | +1.9% |
| 1986 | 8.28 million | +4.5% |
| 1987 | 8.00 million | -3.4% |
| 1988 | 8.06 million | +0.7% |
| 1989 | 7.83 million | -2.8% |
| 1990 | 8.03 million | +2.6% |
| 1991 | 8.10 million | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 8.14 million | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 8.31 million | +2.0% |
| 1994 | 8.89 million | +7.0% |
| 1995 | 9.27 million | +4.3% |
| 1996 | 9.02 million | -2.8% |
| 1997 | 9.14 million | +1.4% |
| 1998 | 8.87 million | -3.0% |
| 1999 | 8.96 million | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 9.02 million | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 9.28 million | +3.0% |
| 2002 | 9.65 million | +4.0% |
| 2003 | 9.73 million | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 9.60 million | -1.3% |
| 2005 | 9.51 million | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 9.61 million | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 9.65 million | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 9.72 million | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 9.96 million | +2.5% |
| 2010 | 9.86 million | -1.0% |
| 2011 | 10.02 million | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 10.18 million | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 10.18 million | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 10.37 million | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 10.03 million | -3.2% |
| 2016 | 10.15 million | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 10.15 million | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 10.11 million | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 10.15 million | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 10.08 million | -0.7% |
| 2021 | 10.15 million | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 9.75 million | -3.9% |
| 2023 | 9.54 million | -2.2% |
| 2024 | 9.52 million | -0.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7.23 million | 6.45 million | 8.60 million | 9 |
| 1970s | 8.71 million | 7.99 million | 9.31 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.96 million | 7.63 million | 8.28 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.67 million | 8.03 million | 9.27 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.57 million | 9.02 million | 9.96 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.12 million | 9.86 million | 10.37 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.81 million | 9.52 million | 10.15 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
- 33 Myanmar 10.80 million compare
- 34 Germany 10.46 million compare
- 35 Burkina Faso 10.28 million compare
- 37 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 9.41 million compare
- 38 Guinea 9.32 million compare
- 39 Kazakhstan 7.98 million compare
More agriculture & rural data for New Zealand
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -10.07 % change on previous year (2023)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0401 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,976 current US$ per person (2023)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.275 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.16 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture share gdp 4.01 (2023)
- Value added in the agricultural sector as of gdp vs gdp per capita 4.01 (2023)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 9.3% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 0.8% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cattle livestock count heads in New Zealand?
- Cattle livestock count heads in New Zealand was 9.52 million in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cattle livestock count heads recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 10.37 million in 2014.
- What is the lowest cattle livestock count heads recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.45 million in 1961.
- How does New Zealand rank for cattle livestock count heads?
- New Zealand ranks 36th out of 195 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cattle livestock count heads rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this New Zealand 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).