Sheep and Goat Meat — Production in South Africa

South Africa: Sheep and Goat Meat — Production was 180,440 t in 2024. ▲ Rising

Latest (2024)
180,440 t
Change on year
up 9.5%
World rank
31st
of 245 countries
All-time high
209,477 t
in 1972
All-time low
105,550 t
in 1997
Years of data
64
1961–2024

Sheep and Goat Meat — Production in South Africa, 1961–2024

050.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k196119922024

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

Analysis

In 2024, sheep and goat meat — production in South Africa stood at 180,440 t.

The figure is up 9.5% on the previous year and down 7.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, sheep and goat meat — production in South Africa peaked at 209,477 t in 1972 and was at its lowest, 105,550 t, in 1997.

South Africa ranks 31st of 245 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Sheep and Goat Meat — Production in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Sheep and Goat Meat — Production in South Africa, 1961 to 2024.
Year t Change
1961 123,000 t —
1962 124,000 t +0.8%
1963 123,000 t -0.8%
1964 125,000 t +1.6%
1965 141,000 t +12.8%
1966 148,000 t +5.0%
1967 152,000 t +2.7%
1968 177,000 t +16.4%
1969 201,000 t +13.6%
1970 181,889 t -9.5%
1971 195,343 t +7.4%
1972 209,477 t +7.2%
1973 159,211 t -24.0%
1974 136,379 t -14.3%
1975 143,497 t +5.2%
1976 151,762 t +5.8%
1977 148,160 t -2.4%
1978 155,615 t +5.0%
1979 161,271 t +3.6%
1980 161,471 t +0.1%
1981 161,800 t +0.2%
1982 162,500 t +0.4%
1983 163,500 t +0.6%
1984 164,000 t +0.3%
1985 166,000 t +1.2%
1986 141,000 t -15.1%
1987 159,500 t +13.1%
1988 163,000 t +2.2%
1989 166,500 t +2.1%
1990 167,600 t +0.7%
1991 194,170 t +15.9%
1992 179,550 t -7.5%
1993 164,870 t -8.2%
1994 119,900 t -27.3%
1995 107,110 t -10.7%
1996 113,760 t +6.2%
1997 105,550 t -7.2%
1998 106,120 t +0.5%
1999 120,270 t +13.3%
2000 110,880 t -7.8%
2001 112,630 t +1.6%
2002 113,620 t +0.9%
2003 130,800 t +15.1%
2004 149,710 t +14.5%
2005 144,580 t -3.4%
2006 146,180 t +1.1%
2007 180,160 t +23.2%
2008 173,940 t -3.5%
2009 173,520 t -0.2%
2010 166,870 t -3.8%
2011 156,320 t -6.3%
2012 166,760 t +6.7%
2013 188,460 t +13.0%
2014 194,670 t +3.3%
2015 179,014 t -8.0%
2016 180,380 t +0.8%
2017 166,961 t -7.4%
2018 173,581 t +4.0%
2019 174,510 t +0.5%
2020 172,690 t -1.0%
2021 167,870 t -2.8%
2022 173,160 t +3.2%
2023 164,750 t -4.9%
2024 180,440 t +9.5%

South Africa compared with similar countries

  • South Africa's 180,440 t is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4,335 t, 41.6× the median. (50 countries reporting)
  • South Africa's 180,440 t is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 19,594 t, 9.2× the median. (46 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 146,000 t 123,000 t 201,000 t 9
1970s 164,260 t 136,379 t 209,477 t 10
1980s 160,927 t 141,000 t 166,500 t 10
1990s 137,890 t 105,550 t 194,170 t 10
2000s 143,602 t 110,880 t 180,160 t 10
2010s 174,753 t 156,320 t 194,670 t 10
2020s 171,782 t 164,750 t 180,440 t 5

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 29 Mongolia 197,077 t compare
  2. 30 United Republic of Tanzania 181,600 t compare
  3. 32 Yemen 159,682 t compare
  4. 32 Yemen 159,682 t compare
  5. 34 Kenya 153,964 t compare

See the full ranking of 275 places →

More agriculture & rural data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is sheep and goat meat — production in South Africa?
Sheep and goat meat — production in South Africa was 180,440 t in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest sheep and goat meat — production recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 209,477 t in 1972.
What is the lowest sheep and goat meat — production recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 105,550 t in 1997.
How does South Africa rank for sheep and goat meat — production?
South Africa ranks 31st out of 245 countries with data for 2024.
Is sheep and goat meat — production rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 7.3%. 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 Sheep and Goat Meat — Production. 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).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Sheep and Goat Meat — 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/sheep-and-goat-meat-production/south-africa/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/sheep-and-goat-meat-production/south-africa/">Sheep and Goat Meat — Production in South Africa</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Sheep and Goat Meat — Production
Unit
t
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
275 places, 15,694 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.