Cattle livestock count heads in Nigeria
Nigeria: Cattle livestock count heads was 20.94 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
20.94 million
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
17th
of 197 countries
All-time high
20.94 million
in 2024
All-time low
6.03 million
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Cattle livestock count heads in Nigeria, 1961–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for cattle livestock count heads in Nigeria is 20.94 million, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.2% on the previous year and up 6.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cattle livestock count heads in Nigeria peaked at 20.94 million in 2024 and was at its lowest, 6.03 million, in 1961.
Nigeria ranks 17th of 197 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Cattle livestock count heads in Nigeria, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 6.03 million | — |
| 1962 | 6.31 million | +4.7% |
| 1963 | 6.63 million | +5.0% |
| 1964 | 6.95 million | +4.8% |
| 1965 | 7.24 million | +4.2% |
| 1966 | 7.52 million | +3.9% |
| 1967 | 7.83 million | +4.2% |
| 1968 | 8.19 million | +4.6% |
| 1969 | 8.58 million | +4.7% |
| 1970 | 8.89 million | +3.6% |
| 1971 | 9.20 million | +3.6% |
| 1972 | 9.55 million | +3.8% |
| 1973 | 9.97 million | +4.5% |
| 1974 | 10.25 million | +2.8% |
| 1975 | 10.55 million | +2.9% |
| 1976 | 10.96 million | +3.9% |
| 1977 | 11.22 million | +2.4% |
| 1978 | 11.58 million | +3.1% |
| 1979 | 11.88 million | +2.6% |
| 1980 | 12.11 million | +1.9% |
| 1981 | 12.21 million | +0.9% |
| 1982 | 12.39 million | +1.4% |
| 1983 | 12.58 million | +1.6% |
| 1984 | 12.70 million | +0.9% |
| 1985 | 12.91 million | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 13.16 million | +1.9% |
| 1987 | 13.41 million | +2.0% |
| 1988 | 13.76 million | +2.6% |
| 1989 | 13.96 million | +1.4% |
| 1990 | 13.95 million | -0.1% |
| 1991 | 14.02 million | +0.5% |
| 1992 | 14.09 million | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 14.81 million | +5.1% |
| 1994 | 14.88 million | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 15.00 million | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 15.05 million | +0.3% |
| 1997 | 15.07 million | +0.2% |
| 1998 | 15.09 million | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 15.10 million | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 15.12 million | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 15.13 million | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 15.15 million | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 15.16 million | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 15.70 million | +3.5% |
| 2005 | 15.88 million | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 16.01 million | +0.9% |
| 2007 | 16.15 million | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 16.29 million | +0.9% |
| 2009 | 16.43 million | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 16.58 million | +0.9% |
| 2011 | 19.04 million | +14.9% |
| 2012 | 19.21 million | +0.9% |
| 2013 | 19.37 million | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 19.75 million | +2.0% |
| 2015 | 20.18 million | +2.2% |
| 2016 | 19.88 million | -1.5% |
| 2017 | 20.06 million | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 20.24 million | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 20.40 million | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 20.59 million | +0.9% |
| 2021 | 20.76 million | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 20.86 million | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 20.90 million | +0.2% |
| 2024 | 20.94 million | +0.2% |
Nigeria compared with similar countries
- Nigeria's 20.94 million is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 2.73 million, 7.7× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Nigeria's 20.94 million is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.41 million, 8.7× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7.25 million | 6.03 million | 8.58 million | 9 |
| 1970s | 10.41 million | 8.89 million | 11.88 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 12.92 million | 12.11 million | 13.96 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.71 million | 13.95 million | 15.10 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.70 million | 15.12 million | 16.43 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.47 million | 16.58 million | 20.40 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 20.81 million | 20.59 million | 20.94 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near Nigeria
More agriculture & rural data for Nigeria
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate 0.9222 % change on previous year (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0002 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per capita 0.1938 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate 0.5433 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0002 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 0.2993 hectares per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 2.38 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.2298 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 281.32 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.1218 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cattle livestock count heads in Nigeria?
- Cattle livestock count heads in Nigeria was 20.94 million in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cattle livestock count heads recorded in Nigeria?
- The highest recorded value was 20.94 million in 2024.
- What is the lowest cattle livestock count heads recorded in Nigeria?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.03 million in 1961.
- How does Nigeria rank for cattle livestock count heads?
- Nigeria ranks 17th out of 197 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cattle livestock count heads rising or falling in Nigeria?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Nigeria 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).