Cattle livestock count heads in South Africa
South Africa: Cattle livestock count heads was 12.12 million in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
12.12 million
Change on year
down 0.6%
World rank
29th
of 195 countries
All-time high
14.17 million
in 1979
All-time low
10.45 million
in 1966
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Cattle livestock count heads in South Africa, 1961–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 12.12 million for cattle livestock count heads in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and down 12.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cattle livestock count heads in South Africa peaked at 14.17 million in 1979 and was at its lowest, 10.45 million, in 1966.
South Africa ranks 29th 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 South Africa, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 12.53 million | — |
| 1962 | 12.60 million | +0.6% |
| 1963 | 12.60 million | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 12.60 million | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 12.50 million | -0.8% |
| 1966 | 10.45 million | -16.4% |
| 1967 | 10.54 million | +0.9% |
| 1968 | 10.70 million | +1.5% |
| 1969 | 11.01 million | +2.9% |
| 1970 | 11.30 million | +2.7% |
| 1971 | 11.23 million | -0.6% |
| 1972 | 11.50 million | +2.4% |
| 1973 | 11.90 million | +3.5% |
| 1974 | 12.30 million | +3.4% |
| 1975 | 12.70 million | +3.3% |
| 1976 | 12.77 million | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 13.06 million | +2.2% |
| 1978 | 13.13 million | +0.6% |
| 1979 | 14.17 million | +7.9% |
| 1980 | 13.57 million | -4.2% |
| 1981 | 12.90 million | -5.0% |
| 1982 | 12.90 million | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 13.10 million | +1.6% |
| 1984 | 12.90 million | -1.5% |
| 1985 | 12.00 million | -7.0% |
| 1986 | 12.00 million | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 12.20 million | +1.7% |
| 1988 | 12.40 million | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 12.80 million | +3.2% |
| 1990 | 13.30 million | +3.9% |
| 1991 | 13.50 million | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 13.50 million | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 13.10 million | -3.0% |
| 1994 | 12.50 million | -4.6% |
| 1995 | 12.60 million | +0.8% |
| 1996 | 13.00 million | +3.2% |
| 1997 | 13.40 million | +3.1% |
| 1998 | 13.70 million | +2.2% |
| 1999 | 13.80 million | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 13.60 million | -1.4% |
| 2001 | 13.50 million | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 13.63 million | +1.0% |
| 2003 | 13.54 million | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 13.51 million | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 13.79 million | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 13.53 million | -1.9% |
| 2007 | 13.91 million | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 13.87 million | -0.3% |
| 2009 | 13.76 million | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 13.73 million | -0.2% |
| 2011 | 13.69 million | -0.3% |
| 2012 | 13.89 million | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 13.86 million | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 13.92 million | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 13.69 million | -1.6% |
| 2016 | 13.40 million | -2.1% |
| 2017 | 12.95 million | -3.3% |
| 2018 | 12.79 million | -1.3% |
| 2019 | 12.59 million | -1.6% |
| 2020 | 12.30 million | -2.3% |
| 2021 | 12.23 million | -0.5% |
| 2022 | 12.20 million | -0.3% |
| 2023 | 12.20 million | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 12.12 million | -0.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 11.72 million | 10.45 million | 12.60 million | 9 |
| 1970s | 12.41 million | 11.23 million | 14.17 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 12.68 million | 12.00 million | 13.57 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.24 million | 12.50 million | 13.80 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 13.66 million | 13.50 million | 13.91 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.45 million | 12.59 million | 13.92 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.21 million | 12.12 million | 12.30 million | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More agriculture & rural data for South Africa
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0283 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 186.56 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.812 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3618 units per person (2025)
- Agriculture share gdp 2.83 (2025)
- Value added in the agricultural sector as of gdp vs gdp per capita 2.83 (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cattle livestock count heads in South Africa?
- Cattle livestock count heads in South Africa was 12.12 million in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest cattle livestock count heads recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 14.17 million in 1979.
- What is the lowest cattle livestock count heads recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 10.45 million in 1966.
- How does South Africa rank for cattle livestock count heads?
- South Africa ranks 29th out of 195 countries with data for 2024.
- Is cattle livestock count heads rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa 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).