Sheep — Stocks in Ireland
Ireland: Sheep — Stocks was 3.59 million An in 2024. ▲ Rising
Sheep — Stocks in Ireland, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in An.
Analysis
The most recent figure for sheep — stocks in Ireland is 3.59 million An, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.0% on the previous year and down 29.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sheep — stocks in Ireland peaked at 7.55 million An in 2000 and was at its lowest, 2.34 million An, in 1981.
That places Ireland 76th out of 234 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Sheep — Stocks in Ireland, year by year
| Year | An | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 3.11 million An | — |
| 1962 | 3.38 million An | +8.7% |
| 1963 | 3.33 million An | -1.3% |
| 1964 | 3.39 million An | +1.6% |
| 1965 | 3.46 million An | +2.0% |
| 1966 | 3.46 million An | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 3.06 million An | -11.7% |
| 1968 | 2.99 million An | -2.2% |
| 1969 | 2.85 million An | -4.6% |
| 1970 | 2.79 million An | -2.2% |
| 1971 | 2.84 million An | +1.7% |
| 1972 | 2.86 million An | +0.9% |
| 1973 | 2.83 million An | -1.0% |
| 1974 | 2.84 million An | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 2.71 million An | -4.7% |
| 1976 | 2.65 million An | -2.1% |
| 1977 | 2.58 million An | -2.7% |
| 1978 | 2.53 million An | -2.2% |
| 1979 | 2.42 million An | -4.3% |
| 1980 | 2.36 million An | -2.4% |
| 1981 | 2.34 million An | -0.7% |
| 1982 | 2.45 million An | +4.5% |
| 1983 | 2.61 million An | +6.5% |
| 1984 | 2.81 million An | +7.8% |
| 1985 | 3.08 million An | +9.5% |
| 1986 | 3.30 million An | +7.2% |
| 1987 | 3.67 million An | +11.1% |
| 1988 | 4.30 million An | +17.1% |
| 1989 | 4.99 million An | +16.1% |
| 1990 | 5.71 million An | +14.5% |
| 1991 | 5.86 million An | +2.6% |
| 1992 | 5.98 million An | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 6.11 million An | +2.1% |
| 1994 | 5.97 million An | -2.3% |
| 1995 | 5.74 million An | -3.8% |
| 1996 | 5.54 million An | -3.4% |
| 1997 | 5.34 million An | -3.6% |
| 1998 | 5.58 million An | +4.4% |
| 1999 | 5.56 million An | -0.3% |
| 2000 | 7.55 million An | +35.9% |
| 2001 | 7.33 million An | -3.0% |
| 2002 | 7.21 million An | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 6.85 million An | -5.0% |
| 2004 | 6.78 million An | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 6.39 million An | -5.7% |
| 2006 | 5.97 million An | -6.6% |
| 2007 | 5.52 million An | -7.6% |
| 2008 | 5.06 million An | -8.3% |
| 2009 | 4.78 million An | -5.6% |
| 2010 | 4.75 million An | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 4.83 million An | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 5.17 million An | +7.0% |
| 2013 | 5.01 million An | -3.2% |
| 2014 | 5.10 million An | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 5.14 million An | +0.8% |
| 2016 | 5.18 million An | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 5.20 million An | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 3.80 million An | -26.9% |
| 2019 | 3.81 million An | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 3.88 million An | +1.8% |
| 2021 | 3.99 million An | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 4.02 million An | +0.7% |
| 2023 | 3.74 million An | -6.9% |
| 2024 | 3.59 million An | -4.0% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 3.59 million An is above the median for high income countries, which is 345,440 An, 10.4× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 3.59 million An is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 701,482 An, 5.1× the median. (46 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Sheep — Stocks in Ireland 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 | +35.9% | 5.56 million An | 7.55 million An |
| 2018 | -26.9% | 5.20 million An | 3.80 million An |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.22 million An | 2.85 million An | 3.46 million An | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.71 million An | 2.42 million An | 2.86 million An | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.19 million An | 2.34 million An | 4.99 million An | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.74 million An | 5.34 million An | 6.11 million An | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.34 million An | 4.78 million An | 7.55 million An | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.80 million An | 3.80 million An | 5.20 million An | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.84 million An | 3.59 million An | 4.02 million An | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More agriculture & rural data for Ireland
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate -0.388 % change on previous year (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Cropland extent over the long-term, per capita 0.0796 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate -1.23 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 0.7634 hectares per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 22.64 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0106 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,391 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.9559 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is sheep — stocks in Ireland?
- Sheep — stocks in Ireland was 3.59 million An in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest sheep — stocks recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 7.55 million An in 2000.
- What is the lowest sheep — stocks recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.34 million An in 1981.
- How does Ireland rank for sheep — stocks?
- Ireland ranks 76th out of 234 countries with data for 2024.
- Is sheep — stocks rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 29.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland 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.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
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.