Meat of sheep, fresh or chilled — Production in South Africa

South Africa: Meat of sheep, fresh or chilled — Production was 168,000 t in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
168,000 t
Change on year
up 10.2%
World rank
24th
of 234 countries
All-time high
184,477 t
in 1972
All-time low
98,400 t
in 1997
Years of data
64
1961–2024

Meat of sheep, fresh or chilled — Production in South Africa, 1961–2024

050.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k196119922024

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

Analysis

South Africa recorded 168,000 t for meat of sheep, fresh or chilled — production in 2024.

That represents a change of up 10.2% on the previous year and down 8.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, meat of sheep, fresh or chilled — production in South Africa peaked at 184,477 t in 1972 and was at its lowest, 98,400 t, in 1997.

South Africa ranks 24th of 234 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

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

Meat of sheep, fresh or chilled — Production in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Meat of sheep, fresh or chilled — Production in South Africa, 1961 to 2024.
Year t Change
1961 103,000 t —
1962 105,000 t +1.9%
1963 102,000 t -2.9%
1964 103,000 t +1.0%
1965 119,000 t +15.5%
1966 125,000 t +5.0%
1967 129,000 t +3.2%
1968 154,000 t +19.4%
1969 177,000 t +14.9%
1970 157,889 t -10.8%
1971 170,343 t +7.9%
1972 184,477 t +8.3%
1973 133,911 t -27.4%
1974 110,379 t -17.6%
1975 117,147 t +6.1%
1976 125,162 t +6.8%
1977 121,060 t -3.3%
1978 127,615 t +5.4%
1979 133,071 t +4.3%
1980 133,071 t +0.0%
1981 133,300 t +0.2%
1982 133,500 t +0.2%
1983 134,000 t +0.4%
1984 134,000 t +0.0%
1985 135,000 t +0.7%
1986 110,000 t -18.5%
1987 127,000 t +15.5%
1988 130,000 t +2.4%
1989 133,000 t +2.3%
1990 133,000 t +0.0%
1991 183,600 t +38.0%
1992 167,900 t -8.6%
1993 153,500 t -8.6%
1994 112,500 t -26.7%
1995 100,400 t -10.8%
1996 106,500 t +6.1%
1997 98,400 t -7.6%
1998 99,000 t +0.6%
1999 113,100 t +14.2%
2000 102,300 t -9.5%
2001 104,000 t +1.7%
2002 105,000 t +1.0%
2003 120,000 t +14.3%
2004 138,900 t +15.8%
2005 134,900 t -2.9%
2006 136,100 t +0.9%
2007 170,000 t +24.9%
2008 163,700 t -3.7%
2009 163,200 t -0.3%
2010 156,400 t -4.2%
2011 145,800 t -6.8%
2012 156,200 t +7.1%
2013 177,850 t +13.9%
2014 183,970 t +3.4%
2015 168,200 t -8.6%
2016 169,395 t +0.7%
2017 155,803 t -8.0%
2018 162,250 t +4.1%
2019 163,000 t +0.5%
2020 161,000 t -1.2%
2021 156,000 t -3.1%
2022 161,100 t +3.3%
2023 152,500 t -5.3%
2024 168,000 t +10.2%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 168,000 t is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 2,125 t, 79.1× the median. (49 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 168,000 t is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 4,740 t, 35.4× the median. (45 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 124,111 t 102,000 t 177,000 t 9
1970s 138,105 t 110,379 t 184,477 t 10
1980s 130,287 t 110,000 t 135,000 t 10
1990s 126,790 t 98,400 t 183,600 t 10
2000s 133,810 t 102,300 t 170,000 t 10
2010s 163,887 t 145,800 t 183,970 t 10
2020s 159,720 t 152,500 t 168,000 t 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 22 Russian Federation 188,214 t compare
  2. 22 Russia 188,214 t compare
  3. 25 Saudi Arabia 166,976 t compare
  4. 26 Nigeria 162,751 t compare
  5. 27 Ethiopia 136,081 t compare
  6. 27 Ethiopia 136,081 t compare

See the full ranking of 264 places →

More agriculture & rural data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is meat of sheep, fresh or chilled — production in South Africa?
Meat of sheep, fresh or chilled — production in South Africa was 168,000 t in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest meat of sheep, fresh or chilled — production recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 184,477 t in 1972.
What is the lowest meat of sheep, fresh or chilled — production recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 98,400 t in 1997.
How does South Africa rank for meat of sheep, fresh or chilled — production?
South Africa ranks 24th out of 234 countries with data for 2024.
Is meat of sheep, fresh or chilled — production rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.7%. 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 Meat of sheep, fresh or chilled — Production. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Meat of sheep, fresh or chilled — Production in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/meat-of-sheep-fresh-or-chilled-production-2/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Meat of sheep, fresh or chilled — Production
Unit
t
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
264 places, 14,986 data points, 1961–2024
Last refreshed

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.