Sheep — Stocks in Australia and New Zealand

Australia and New Zealand: Sheep — Stocks was 102.91 million An in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
102.91 million An
Change on year
up 6.7%
World rank
5th
of 179 countries
All-time high
240.36 million An
in 1970
All-time low
89.56 million An
in 2020
Years of data
64
1961–2024

Sheep — Stocks in Australia and New Zealand, 1961–2024

050.0M100.0M150.0M200.0M250.0M196119922024

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

Analysis

Australia and New Zealand recorded 102.91 million An for sheep — stocks in 2024.

The figure is up 6.7% on the previous year and up 0.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, sheep — stocks in Australia and New Zealand peaked at 240.36 million An in 1970 and was at its lowest, 89.56 million An, in 2020.

Australia and New Zealand ranks 5th of 179 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

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

Sheep — Stocks in Australia and New Zealand, year by year

Annual values for Sheep — Stocks in Australia and New Zealand, 1961 to 2024.
Year An Change
1961 201.14 million An
1962 206.70 million An +2.8%
1963 208.82 million An +1.0%
1964 216.27 million An +3.6%
1965 224.37 million An +3.7%
1966 214.91 million An -4.2%
1967 224.27 million An +4.4%
1968 227.39 million An +1.4%
1969 234.54 million An +3.1%
1970 240.36 million An +2.5%
1971 236.70 million An -1.5%
1972 223.79 million An -5.5%
1973 196.71 million An -12.1%
1974 201.06 million An +2.2%
1975 206.97 million An +2.9%
1976 205.04 million An -0.9%
1977 194.47 million An -5.2%
1978 193.61 million An -0.4%
1979 197.75 million An +2.1%
1980 204.76 million An +3.5%
1981 204.29 million An -0.2%
1982 208.28 million An +2.0%
1983 203.50 million An -2.3%
1984 208.98 million An +2.7%
1985 217.60 million An +4.1%
1986 214.25 million An -1.5%
1987 213.40 million An -0.4%
1988 217.04 million An +1.7%
1989 222.17 million An +2.4%
1990 228.15 million An +2.7%
1991 218.40 million An -4.3%
1992 200.77 million An -8.1%
1993 188.40 million An -6.2%
1994 182.03 million An -3.4%
1995 169.68 million An -6.8%
1996 168.51 million An -0.7%
1997 166.31 million An -1.3%
1998 161.89 million An -2.7%
1999 161.14 million An -0.5%
2000 160.81 million An -0.2%
2001 150.91 million An -6.2%
2002 145.74 million An -3.4%
2003 138.80 million An -4.8%
2004 140.56 million An +1.3%
2005 141.00 million An +0.3%
2006 131.11 million An -7.0%
2007 124.17 million An -5.3%
2008 111.03 million An -10.6%
2009 105.12 million An -5.3%
2010 100.65 million An -4.3%
2011 104.23 million An +3.6%
2012 105.98 million An +1.7%
2013 106.33 million An +0.3%
2014 102.42 million An -3.7%
2015 100.03 million An -2.3%
2016 95.13 million An -4.9%
2017 99.65 million An +4.8%
2018 97.36 million An -2.3%
2019 92.58 million An -4.9%
2020 89.56 million An -3.3%
2021 93.78 million An +4.7%
2022 95.37 million An +1.7%
2023 96.42 million An +1.1%
2024 102.91 million An +6.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 217.60 million An 201.14 million An 234.54 million An 9
1970s 209.65 million An 193.61 million An 240.36 million An 10
1980s 211.43 million An 203.50 million An 222.17 million An 10
1990s 184.53 million An 161.14 million An 228.15 million An 10
2000s 134.93 million An 105.12 million An 160.81 million An 10
2010s 100.44 million An 92.58 million An 106.33 million An 10
2020s 95.61 million An 89.56 million An 102.91 million An 5

Countries ranked near Australia and New Zealand

  1. 2 China, mainland 182.94 million An compare
  2. 3 USSR 132.95 million An compare
  3. 4 India 114.62 million An compare
  4. 5 Türkiye 44.08 million An compare
  5. 6 Australia 79.33 million An compare
  6. 7 Sudan (former) 52.64 million An compare
  7. 8 Nigeria 52.14 million An compare

See the full ranking of 224 places →

More agriculture & rural data for Australia and New Zealand

All data for Australia and New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is sheep — stocks in Australia and New Zealand?
Sheep — stocks in Australia and New Zealand was 102.91 million An in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest sheep — stocks recorded in Australia and New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 240.36 million An in 1970.
What is the lowest sheep — stocks recorded in Australia and New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 89.56 million An in 2020.
How does Australia and New Zealand rank for sheep — stocks?
Australia and New Zealand ranks 5th out of 179 countries with data for 2024.
Is sheep — stocks rising or falling in Australia and New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is up 0.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Australia and New Zealand data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Sheep — Stocks. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Sheep — Stocks in Australia and New Zealand. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 30 August 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/sheep-stocks-3/australia-and-new-zealand/

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About this data

Indicator
Sheep — Stocks
Unit
An
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
224 places, 12,958 data points, 1961–2024
Last refreshed

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.