Sheep — Stocks in New Zealand
New Zealand: Sheep — Stocks was 23.58 million An in 2024. ▼ Falling
Sheep — Stocks in New Zealand, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in An.
Analysis
The most recent figure for sheep — stocks in New Zealand is 23.58 million An, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 64 years on record.
That represents a change of down 3.2% on the previous year and down 20.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sheep — stocks in New Zealand peaked at 70.30 million An in 1982 and was at its lowest, 23.58 million An, in 2024.
That places New Zealand 23rd out of 234 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 — Stocks in New Zealand, year by year
| Year | An | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 48.46 million An | — |
| 1962 | 48.99 million An | +1.1% |
| 1963 | 50.19 million An | +2.5% |
| 1964 | 51.29 million An | +2.2% |
| 1965 | 53.75 million An | +4.8% |
| 1966 | 57.34 million An | +6.7% |
| 1967 | 60.03 million An | +4.7% |
| 1968 | 60.47 million An | +0.7% |
| 1969 | 59.94 million An | -0.9% |
| 1970 | 60.28 million An | +0.6% |
| 1971 | 58.91 million An | -2.3% |
| 1972 | 60.88 million An | +3.3% |
| 1973 | 56.68 million An | -6.9% |
| 1974 | 55.88 million An | -1.4% |
| 1975 | 55.32 million An | -1.0% |
| 1976 | 56.40 million An | +2.0% |
| 1977 | 59.10 million An | +4.8% |
| 1978 | 62.16 million An | +5.2% |
| 1979 | 63.52 million An | +2.2% |
| 1980 | 68.77 million An | +8.3% |
| 1981 | 69.88 million An | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 70.30 million An | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 70.26 million An | -0.1% |
| 1984 | 69.74 million An | -0.7% |
| 1985 | 67.85 million An | -2.7% |
| 1986 | 67.47 million An | -0.6% |
| 1987 | 64.24 million An | -4.8% |
| 1988 | 64.60 million An | +0.6% |
| 1989 | 60.57 million An | -6.2% |
| 1990 | 57.85 million An | -4.5% |
| 1991 | 55.16 million An | -4.7% |
| 1992 | 52.57 million An | -4.7% |
| 1993 | 50.30 million An | -4.3% |
| 1994 | 49.47 million An | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 48.82 million An | -1.3% |
| 1996 | 47.39 million An | -2.9% |
| 1997 | 46.08 million An | -2.8% |
| 1998 | 44.40 million An | -3.6% |
| 1999 | 45.68 million An | +2.9% |
| 2000 | 42.26 million An | -7.5% |
| 2001 | 40.01 million An | -5.3% |
| 2002 | 39.57 million An | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 39.55 million An | -0.1% |
| 2004 | 39.27 million An | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 39.88 million An | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 40.08 million An | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 38.46 million An | -4.0% |
| 2008 | 34.09 million An | -11.4% |
| 2009 | 32.38 million An | -5.0% |
| 2010 | 32.56 million An | +0.6% |
| 2011 | 31.13 million An | -4.4% |
| 2012 | 31.26 million An | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 30.79 million An | -1.5% |
| 2014 | 29.80 million An | -3.2% |
| 2015 | 29.12 million An | -2.3% |
| 2016 | 27.58 million An | -5.3% |
| 2017 | 27.53 million An | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 27.30 million An | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 26.82 million An | -1.7% |
| 2020 | 26.03 million An | -3.0% |
| 2021 | 25.73 million An | -1.1% |
| 2022 | 25.13 million An | -2.3% |
| 2023 | 24.36 million An | -3.1% |
| 2024 | 23.58 million An | -3.2% |
New Zealand compared with similar countries
- New Zealand's 23.58 million An is above the median for high income countries, which is 345,440 An, 68.3× the median. (55 countries reporting)
- New Zealand's 23.58 million An is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 41,664 An, 566.0× the median. (15 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 54.50 million An | 48.46 million An | 60.47 million An | 9 |
| 1970s | 58.91 million An | 55.32 million An | 63.52 million An | 10 |
| 1980s | 67.37 million An | 60.57 million An | 70.30 million An | 10 |
| 1990s | 49.77 million An | 44.40 million An | 57.85 million An | 10 |
| 2000s | 38.56 million An | 32.38 million An | 42.26 million An | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.39 million An | 26.82 million An | 32.56 million An | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.97 million An | 23.58 million An | 26.03 million An | 5 |
Countries ranked near New Zealand
More agriculture & rural data for New Zealand
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate 1.54 % 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 0.1262 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate -1.76 % 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 1.76 hectares per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -10.07 % change on previous year (2023)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0401 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2023)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 1,976 current US$ per person (2023)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.275 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is sheep — stocks in New Zealand?
- Sheep — stocks in New Zealand was 23.58 million An in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest sheep — stocks recorded in New Zealand?
- The highest recorded value was 70.30 million An in 1982.
- What is the lowest sheep — stocks recorded in New Zealand?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.58 million An in 2024.
- How does New Zealand rank for sheep — stocks?
- New Zealand ranks 23rd out of 234 countries with data for 2024.
- Is sheep — stocks rising or falling in New Zealand?
- Over the last ten years it is down 20.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this 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.
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.