Sheep and Goat Meat — Producing Animals/Slaughtered in Australia

Australia: Sheep and Goat Meat — Producing Animals/Slaughtered was 41.62 million An in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
41.62 million An
Change on year
up 12.1%
World rank
9th
of 246 countries
All-time high
52.87 million An
in 1972
All-time low
24.85 million An
in 2011
Years of data
64
1961–2024

Sheep and Goat Meat — Producing Animals/Slaughtered in Australia, 1961–2024

020.0M40.0M60.0M196119922024

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

Analysis

In 2024, sheep and goat meat — producing animals/slaughtered in Australia stood at 41.62 million An.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 12.1% on the previous year and up 21.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, sheep and goat meat — producing animals/slaughtered in Australia peaked at 52.87 million An in 1972 and was at its lowest, 24.85 million An, in 2011.

That places Australia 9th out of 246 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Sheep and Goat Meat — Producing Animals/Slaughtered in Australia, year by year

Annual values for Sheep and Goat Meat — Producing Animals/Slaughtered in Australia, 1961 to 2024.
Year An Change
1961 32.61 million An —
1962 33.30 million An +2.1%
1963 33.82 million An +1.6%
1964 33.36 million An -1.4%
1965 33.48 million An +0.4%
1966 34.57 million An +3.3%
1967 32.51 million An -6.0%
1968 38.02 million An +17.0%
1969 36.72 million An -3.4%
1970 42.22 million An +15.0%
1971 45.41 million An +7.5%
1972 52.87 million An +16.4%
1973 41.15 million An -22.2%
1974 25.27 million An -38.6%
1975 28.72 million An +13.6%
1976 32.85 million An +14.4%
1977 31.63 million An -3.7%
1978 29.12 million An -7.9%
1979 26.81 million An -8.0%
1980 30.46 million An +13.6%
1981 31.91 million An +4.8%
1982 28.22 million An -11.6%
1983 30.00 million An +6.3%
1984 25.50 million An -15.0%
1985 28.04 million An +10.0%
1986 32.25 million An +15.0%
1987 32.57 million An +1.0%
1988 32.40 million An -0.5%
1989 29.05 million An -10.3%
1990 33.20 million An +14.3%
1991 34.95 million An +5.3%
1992 35.00 million An +0.1%
1993 33.42 million An -4.5%
1994 33.31 million An -0.3%
1995 33.19 million An -0.4%
1996 29.20 million An -12.0%
1997 29.28 million An +0.3%
1998 31.30 million An +6.9%
1999 31.55 million An +0.8%
2000 33.57 million An +6.4%
2001 35.97 million An +7.2%
2002 32.90 million An -8.5%
2003 31.61 million An -3.9%
2004 28.11 million An -11.1%
2005 29.98 million An +6.6%
2006 31.70 million An +5.7%
2007 34.47 million An +8.8%
2008 32.54 million An -5.6%
2009 32.30 million An -0.7%
2010 27.34 million An -15.3%
2011 24.85 million An -9.1%
2012 26.65 million An +7.2%
2013 32.50 million An +22.0%
2014 34.32 million An +5.6%
2015 34.02 million An -0.9%
2016 33.42 million An -1.8%
2017 30.98 million An -7.3%
2018 33.90 million An +9.4%
2019 32.51 million An -4.1%
2020 27.72 million An -14.7%
2021 27.86 million An +0.5%
2022 29.86 million An +7.2%
2023 37.13 million An +24.3%
2024 41.62 million An +12.1%

Australia compared with similar countries

  • Australia's 41.62 million An is above the median for high income countries, which is 219,010 An, 190.0× the median. (57 countries reporting)
  • Australia's 41.62 million An is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 68,349 An, 608.9× the median. (20 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 34.27 million An 32.51 million An 38.02 million An 9
1970s 35.61 million An 25.27 million An 52.87 million An 10
1980s 30.04 million An 25.50 million An 32.57 million An 10
1990s 32.44 million An 29.20 million An 35.00 million An 10
2000s 32.31 million An 28.11 million An 35.97 million An 10
2010s 31.05 million An 24.85 million An 34.32 million An 10
2020s 32.84 million An 27.72 million An 41.62 million An 5

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 6 Pakistan 63.63 million An compare
  2. 7 USSR 59.57 million An compare
  3. 8 Nigeria 48.18 million An compare
  4. 10 Sudan (former) 38.72 million An compare
  5. 11 Ethiopia 31.16 million An compare
  6. 11 Ethiopia 31.16 million An compare

See the full ranking of 276 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is sheep and goat meat — producing animals/slaughtered in Australia?
Sheep and goat meat — producing animals/slaughtered in Australia was 41.62 million An in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest sheep and goat meat — producing animals/slaughtered recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 52.87 million An in 1972.
What is the lowest sheep and goat meat — producing animals/slaughtered recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 24.85 million An in 2011.
How does Australia rank for sheep and goat meat — producing animals/slaughtered?
Australia ranks 9th out of 246 countries with data for 2024.
Is sheep and goat meat — producing animals/slaughtered rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is up 21.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Sheep and Goat Meat — Producing Animals/Slaughtered. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Sheep and Goat Meat — Producing Animals/Slaughtered in Australia. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/sheep-and-goat-meat-producing-animals-slaughtered/australia/

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About this data

Indicator
Sheep and Goat Meat — Producing Animals/Slaughtered
Unit
An
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
276 places, 15,726 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.