Milk, Total — Milk Animals in South Africa
South Africa: Milk, Total — Milk Animals was 1.00 million An in 2024. ▼ Falling
Milk, Total — Milk Animals in South Africa, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in An.
Analysis
South Africa recorded 1.00 million An for milk, total — milk animals in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, milk, total — milk animals in South Africa peaked at 1.29 million An in 1970 and was at its lowest, 720,000 An, in 1994.
That places South Africa 79th out of 185 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Milk, Total — Milk Animals in South Africa, year by year
| Year | An | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.00 million An | — |
| 1962 | 970,000 An | -3.0% |
| 1963 | 930,000 An | -4.1% |
| 1964 | 850,000 An | -8.6% |
| 1965 | 950,000 An | +11.8% |
| 1966 | 1.00 million An | +5.3% |
| 1967 | 1.05 million An | +5.0% |
| 1968 | 1.10 million An | +4.8% |
| 1969 | 1.10 million An | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 1.29 million An | +17.7% |
| 1971 | 1.14 million An | -11.6% |
| 1972 | 1.14 million An | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 1.03 million An | -9.9% |
| 1974 | 1.10 million An | +6.5% |
| 1975 | 926,190 An | -15.7% |
| 1976 | 912,747 An | -1.5% |
| 1977 | 902,489 An | -1.1% |
| 1978 | 951,345 An | +5.4% |
| 1979 | 887,072 An | -6.8% |
| 1980 | 830,000 An | -6.4% |
| 1981 | 840,000 An | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 870,000 An | +3.6% |
| 1983 | 910,000 An | +4.6% |
| 1984 | 870,000 An | -4.4% |
| 1985 | 750,000 An | -13.8% |
| 1986 | 920,000 An | +22.7% |
| 1987 | 850,000 An | -7.6% |
| 1988 | 860,000 An | +1.2% |
| 1989 | 760,000 An | -11.6% |
| 1990 | 770,000 An | +1.3% |
| 1991 | 890,000 An | +15.6% |
| 1992 | 770,000 An | -13.5% |
| 1993 | 820,000 An | +6.5% |
| 1994 | 720,000 An | -12.2% |
| 1995 | 820,000 An | +13.9% |
| 1996 | 820,000 An | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 790,000 An | -3.7% |
| 1998 | 790,000 An | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 760,000 An | -3.8% |
| 2000 | 990,000 An | +30.3% |
| 2001 | 990,000 An | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 850,000 An | -14.1% |
| 2003 | 790,000 An | -7.1% |
| 2004 | 770,000 An | -2.5% |
| 2005 | 820,000 An | +6.5% |
| 2006 | 800,000 An | -2.4% |
| 2007 | 790,000 An | -1.2% |
| 2008 | 980,000 An | +24.1% |
| 2009 | 1.00 million An | +2.0% |
| 2010 | 1.00 million An | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 970,000 An | -3.0% |
| 2012 | 930,000 An | -4.1% |
| 2013 | 990,000 An | +6.5% |
| 2014 | 950,000 An | -4.0% |
| 2015 | 945,000 An | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 1.01 million An | +6.9% |
| 2017 | 1.00 million An | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 1.00 million An | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 1.00 million An | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 1.00 million An | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 1.00 million An | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 1.00 million An | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 1.00 million An | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 1.00 million An | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 994,444 An | 850,000 An | 1.10 million An | 9 |
| 1970s | 1.03 million An | 887,072 An | 1.29 million An | 10 |
| 1980s | 846,000 An | 750,000 An | 920,000 An | 10 |
| 1990s | 795,000 An | 720,000 An | 890,000 An | 10 |
| 2000s | 878,000 An | 770,000 An | 1.00 million An | 10 |
| 2010s | 979,833 An | 930,000 An | 1.01 million An | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.00 million An | 1.00 million An | 1.00 million An | 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 milk, total — milk animals in South Africa?
- Milk, total — milk animals in South Africa was 1.00 million An in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest milk, total — milk animals recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 1.29 million An in 1970.
- What is the lowest milk, total — milk animals recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 720,000 An in 1994.
- How does South Africa rank for milk, total — milk animals?
- South Africa ranks 79th out of 185 countries with data for 2024.
- Is milk, total — milk animals rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Milk, Total — Milk Animals. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
Crop and livestock statistics are recorded for 278 products, covering the following categories: 1) CROPS PRIMARY: Cereals, Citrus Fruit, Fibre Crops, Fruit, Oil Crops, Oil Crops and Cakes in Oil Equivalent, Pulses, Roots and Tubers, Sugar Crops, Treenuts and Vegetables. Data are expressed in terms of area harvested, production quantity and yield. Cereals: Area and production data on cereals relate to crops harvested for dry grain only. Cereal crops harvested for hay or harvested green for food, feed or silage or used for grazing are therefore excluded. 2) CROPS PROCESSED: Beer of barley; Cotton lint; Cottonseed; Margarine, short; Molasses; Oil, coconut (copra); Oil, cottonseed; Oil, groundnut; Oil, linseed; Oil, maize; Oil, olive, virgin; Oil, palm; Oil, palm kernel; Oil, rapeseed; Oil, safflower; Oil, sesame; Oil, soybean; Oil, sunflower; Palm kernels; Sugar Raw Centrifugal; Wine. 3) LIVE ANIMALS: Animals live n.e.s.; Asses; Beehives; Buffaloes; Camelids, other; Camels; Cattle; Chickens; Ducks; Geese and guinea fowls; Goats; Horses; Mules; Pigeons, other birds; Pigs; Rabbits and hares; Rodents, other; Sheep; Turkeys. 4) LIVESTOCK PRIMARY: Beeswax; Eggs (various types); Hides buffalo, fresh; Hides, cattle, fresh; Honey, natural; Meat (ass, bird nes, buffalo, camel, cattle, chicken, duck, game, goat, goose and guinea fowl, horse, mule, Meat nes, meat other camelids, Meat other rodents, pig, rabbit, sheep, turkey); Milk (buffalo, camel, cow, goat, sheep); Offals, nes; Silk-worm cocoons, reelable; Skins (goat, sheep); Snails, not sea; Wool, greasy. 5) LIVESTOCK PROCESSED: Butter (of milk from sheep, goat, buffalo, cow); Cheese (of milk from goat, buffalo, sheep, cow milk); Cheese of skimmed cow milk; Cream fresh; Ghee (cow and buffalo milk); Lard; Milk (dry buttermilk, skimmed condensed, skimmed cow, skimmed dried, skimmed evaporated, whole condensed, whole dried, whole evaporated); Silk raw; Tallow; Whey (condensed and dry); Yoghurt.