What is cattle — stocks in South Africa?

Cattle — stocks in South Africa was 12.12 million An in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

What is the highest cattle — stocks recorded in South Africa?

The highest recorded value was 14.17 million An in 1979.

What is the lowest cattle — stocks recorded in South Africa?

The lowest recorded value was 10.45 million An in 1966.

How does South Africa rank for cattle — stocks?

South Africa ranks 38th out of 249 countries with data for 2024.

Is cattle — stocks 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 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Cattle — Stocks. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Cattle — Stocks in South Africa

Name: Cattle — Stocks in South Africa
Creator: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)

South Africa: Cattle — Stocks was 12.12 million An in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)

12.12 million An

Change on year

down 0.6%

World rank

38th

of 249 countries

All-time high

14.17 million An

in 1979

All-time low

10.45 million An

in 1966

Years of data

1961–2024

Cattle — Stocks in South Africa, 1961–2024

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in An.

Analysis

In 2024, cattle — stocks in South Africa stood at 12.12 million An.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.6% on the previous year and down 12.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, cattle — stocks in South Africa peaked at 14.17 million An in 1979 and was at its lowest, 10.45 million An, in 1966.

That places South Africa 38th out of 249 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.

Cattle — Stocks in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Cattle — Stocks in South Africa, 1961 to 2024.
Year	An	Change
1961	12.53 million An	—
1962	12.60 million An	+0.6%
1963	12.60 million An	+0.0%
1964	12.60 million An	+0.0%
1965	12.50 million An	-0.8%
1966	10.45 million An	-16.4%
1967	10.54 million An	+0.9%
1968	10.70 million An	+1.5%
1969	11.01 million An	+2.9%
1970	11.30 million An	+2.7%
1971	11.23 million An	-0.6%
1972	11.50 million An	+2.4%
1973	11.90 million An	+3.5%
1974	12.30 million An	+3.4%
1975	12.70 million An	+3.3%
1976	12.77 million An	+0.6%
1977	13.06 million An	+2.2%
1978	13.13 million An	+0.6%
1979	14.17 million An	+7.9%
1980	13.57 million An	-4.2%
1981	12.90 million An	-5.0%
1982	12.90 million An	+0.0%
1983	13.10 million An	+1.6%
1984	12.90 million An	-1.5%
1985	12.00 million An	-7.0%
1986	12.00 million An	+0.0%
1987	12.20 million An	+1.7%
1988	12.40 million An	+1.6%
1989	12.80 million An	+3.2%
1990	13.30 million An	+3.9%
1991	13.50 million An	+1.5%
1992	13.50 million An	+0.0%
1993	13.10 million An	-3.0%
1994	12.50 million An	-4.6%
1995	12.60 million An	+0.8%
1996	13.00 million An	+3.2%
1997	13.40 million An	+3.1%
1998	13.70 million An	+2.2%
1999	13.80 million An	+0.7%
2000	13.60 million An	-1.4%
2001	13.50 million An	-0.7%
2002	13.63 million An	+1.0%
2003	13.54 million An	-0.7%
2004	13.51 million An	-0.2%
2005	13.79 million An	+2.1%
2006	13.53 million An	-1.9%
2007	13.91 million An	+2.8%
2008	13.87 million An	-0.3%
2009	13.76 million An	-0.8%
2010	13.73 million An	-0.2%
2011	13.69 million An	-0.3%
2012	13.89 million An	+1.5%
2013	13.86 million An	-0.2%
2014	13.92 million An	+0.4%
2015	13.69 million An	-1.6%
2016	13.40 million An	-2.1%
2017	12.95 million An	-3.3%
2018	12.79 million An	-1.3%
2019	12.59 million An	-1.6%
2020	12.30 million An	-2.3%
2021	12.23 million An	-0.5%
2022	12.20 million An	-0.3%
2023	12.20 million An	+0.0%
2024	12.12 million An	-0.6%

South Africa compared with similar countries

South Africa's 12.12 million An is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 918,057 An, 13.2× the median. (51 countries reporting)
South Africa's 12.12 million An is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 2.41 million An, 5.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	11.72 million An	10.45 million An	12.60 million An	9
1970s	12.41 million An	11.23 million An	14.17 million An	10
1980s	12.68 million An	12.00 million An	13.57 million An	10
1990s	13.24 million An	12.50 million An	13.80 million An	10
2000s	13.66 million An	13.50 million An	13.91 million An	10
2010s	13.45 million An	12.59 million An	13.92 million An	10
2020s	12.21 million An	12.12 million An	12.30 million An	5

Countries ranked near South Africa

36 Mali 14.04 million An compare
37 Paraguay 13.63 million An compare
39 Uruguay 11.96 million An compare
40 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 11.25 million An compare
41 Canada 10.98 million An compare

See the full ranking of 279 places →

More agriculture & rural data for South Africa

Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Cropland extent over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
Cropland extent over the long-term, per capita 0.1917 hectares per person (2025)
Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate 0 % 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 1.49 hectares per person (2025)
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)

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is cattle — stocks in South Africa?: Cattle — stocks in South Africa was 12.12 million An in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest cattle — stocks recorded in South Africa?: The highest recorded value was 14.17 million An in 1979.
What is the lowest cattle — stocks recorded in South Africa?: The lowest recorded value was 10.45 million An in 1966.
How does South Africa rank for cattle — stocks?: South Africa ranks 38th out of 249 countries with data for 2024.
Is cattle — stocks 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 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Cattle — Stocks. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Cattle — Stocks in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/cattle-stocks-3/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator: Cattle — Stocks
Unit: An
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage: 279 places, 15,950 data points, 1961–2024
Last refreshed: 29 October 2026

This dataset provides annual statistics on crop and livestock production across countries and territories. For crops, data are provided on area harvested, production quantities and yields. For livestock, data are provided on animal stocks, numbers of producing and slaughtered animals, and the production of meat, milk, eggs and other livestock products. The dataset also includes information on production quantities for selected processed products, such as vegetable oils, sugar, fibres, beer, wine and major dairy products.