Milk per animal in South Africa
South Africa: Milk per animal was 3,877 kilograms per animal in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
3,877 kilograms per animal
Change on year
up 1.9%
World rank
37th
of 192 countries
All-time high
3,942 kilograms per animal
in 1999
All-time low
2,249 kilograms per animal
in 1970
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Milk per animal in South Africa, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilograms per animal.
Analysis
In 2024, milk per animal in South Africa stood at 3,877 kilograms per animal.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 10.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, milk per animal in South Africa peaked at 3,942 kilograms per animal in 1999 and was at its lowest, 2,249 kilograms per animal, in 1970.
South Africa ranks 37th of 192 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Milk per animal in South Africa, year by year
| Year | kilograms per animal | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 2,557 kilograms per animal | — |
| 1962 | 2,581 kilograms per animal | +0.9% |
| 1963 | 2,599 kilograms per animal | +0.7% |
| 1964 | 2,488 kilograms per animal | -4.3% |
| 1965 | 2,663 kilograms per animal | +7.0% |
| 1966 | 2,544 kilograms per animal | -4.5% |
| 1967 | 2,648 kilograms per animal | +4.1% |
| 1968 | 2,682 kilograms per animal | +1.3% |
| 1969 | 2,591 kilograms per animal | -3.4% |
| 1970 | 2,249 kilograms per animal | -13.2% |
| 1971 | 2,347 kilograms per animal | +4.4% |
| 1972 | 2,520 kilograms per animal | +7.4% |
| 1973 | 2,705 kilograms per animal | +7.4% |
| 1974 | 2,255 kilograms per animal | -16.6% |
| 1975 | 2,699 kilograms per animal | +19.7% |
| 1976 | 2,782 kilograms per animal | +3.1% |
| 1977 | 2,802 kilograms per animal | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 2,491 kilograms per animal | -11.1% |
| 1979 | 2,762 kilograms per animal | +10.9% |
| 1980 | 3,012 kilograms per animal | +9.1% |
| 1981 | 2,976 kilograms per animal | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 2,931 kilograms per animal | -1.5% |
| 1983 | 2,802 kilograms per animal | -4.4% |
| 1984 | 2,759 kilograms per animal | -1.6% |
| 1985 | 2,933 kilograms per animal | +6.3% |
| 1986 | 2,391 kilograms per animal | -18.5% |
| 1987 | 2,706 kilograms per animal | +13.2% |
| 1988 | 2,733 kilograms per animal | +1.0% |
| 1989 | 3,092 kilograms per animal | +13.2% |
| 1990 | 3,214 kilograms per animal | +4.0% |
| 1991 | 3,039 kilograms per animal | -5.4% |
| 1992 | 3,255 kilograms per animal | +7.1% |
| 1993 | 2,974 kilograms per animal | -8.6% |
| 1994 | 3,314 kilograms per animal | +11.4% |
| 1995 | 3,200 kilograms per animal | -3.4% |
| 1996 | 3,463 kilograms per animal | +8.2% |
| 1997 | 3,339 kilograms per animal | -3.6% |
| 1998 | 3,609 kilograms per animal | +8.1% |
| 1999 | 3,942 kilograms per animal | +9.2% |
| 2000 | 2,329 kilograms per animal | -40.9% |
| 2001 | 2,697 kilograms per animal | +15.8% |
| 2002 | 2,949 kilograms per animal | +9.4% |
| 2003 | 3,280 kilograms per animal | +11.2% |
| 2004 | 3,429 kilograms per animal | +4.5% |
| 2005 | 3,712 kilograms per animal | +8.3% |
| 2006 | 3,688 kilograms per animal | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 3,782 kilograms per animal | +2.6% |
| 2008 | 3,104 kilograms per animal | -17.9% |
| 2009 | 2,997 kilograms per animal | -3.4% |
| 2010 | 3,123 kilograms per animal | +4.2% |
| 2011 | 3,203 kilograms per animal | +2.6% |
| 2012 | 3,456 kilograms per animal | +7.9% |
| 2013 | 3,293 kilograms per animal | -4.7% |
| 2014 | 3,513 kilograms per animal | +6.7% |
| 2015 | 3,744 kilograms per animal | +6.6% |
| 2016 | 3,514 kilograms per animal | -6.2% |
| 2017 | 3,643 kilograms per animal | +3.7% |
| 2018 | 3,753 kilograms per animal | +3.0% |
| 2019 | 3,860 kilograms per animal | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 3,849 kilograms per animal | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 3,819 kilograms per animal | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 3,757 kilograms per animal | -1.6% |
| 2023 | 3,804 kilograms per animal | +1.3% |
| 2024 | 3,877 kilograms per animal | +1.9% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 3,877 kilograms per animal is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 1,037 kilograms per animal, 3.7× the median. (53 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 3,877 kilograms per animal is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 236.23 kilograms per animal, 16.4× the median. (47 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Milk per animal in South Africa changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | -40.9% | 3,942 kilograms per animal | 2,329 kilograms per animal |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2,595 kilograms per animal | 2,488 kilograms per animal | 2,682 kilograms per animal | 9 |
| 1970s | 2,561 kilograms per animal | 2,249 kilograms per animal | 2,802 kilograms per animal | 10 |
| 1980s | 2,834 kilograms per animal | 2,391 kilograms per animal | 3,092 kilograms per animal | 10 |
| 1990s | 3,335 kilograms per animal | 2,974 kilograms per animal | 3,942 kilograms per animal | 10 |
| 2000s | 3,197 kilograms per animal | 2,329 kilograms per animal | 3,782 kilograms per animal | 10 |
| 2010s | 3,510 kilograms per animal | 3,123 kilograms per animal | 3,860 kilograms per animal | 10 |
| 2020s | 3,821 kilograms per animal | 3,757 kilograms per animal | 3,877 kilograms per animal | 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)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is milk per animal in South Africa?
- Milk per animal in South Africa was 3,877 kilograms per animal in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest milk per animal recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 3,942 kilograms per animal in 1999.
- What is the lowest milk per animal recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 2,249 kilograms per animal in 1970.
- How does South Africa rank for milk per animal?
- South Africa ranks 37th out of 192 countries with data for 2024.
- Is milk per animal rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is up 10.4%. 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 (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Milk per animal. 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).
About this data
Average annual milk production per animal. Values are estimated by dividing the production of milk (from cattle, sheep, goats, and other animals) by the number of animals used for milk production.