Sheep — Stocks in South Africa
South Africa: Sheep — Stocks was 21.24 million An in 2024. ▼ Falling
Sheep — Stocks in South Africa, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in An.
Analysis
The most recent figure for sheep — stocks in South Africa is 21.24 million An, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 64 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 11.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sheep — stocks in South Africa peaked at 40.31 million An in 1966 and was at its lowest, 21.24 million An, in 2024.
That places South Africa 27th out of 234 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Sheep — Stocks in South Africa, year by year
| Year | An | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 37.90 million An | — |
| 1962 | 38.00 million An | +0.3% |
| 1963 | 38.00 million An | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 36.67 million An | -3.5% |
| 1965 | 37.00 million An | +0.9% |
| 1966 | 40.31 million An | +8.9% |
| 1967 | 38.83 million An | -3.7% |
| 1968 | 39.54 million An | +1.8% |
| 1969 | 39.35 million An | -0.5% |
| 1970 | 34.29 million An | -12.9% |
| 1971 | 33.12 million An | -3.4% |
| 1972 | 30.24 million An | -8.7% |
| 1973 | 30.74 million An | +1.7% |
| 1974 | 30.30 million An | -1.5% |
| 1975 | 30.99 million An | +2.3% |
| 1976 | 31.00 million An | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 31.96 million An | +3.1% |
| 1978 | 32.00 million An | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 31.59 million An | -1.3% |
| 1980 | 31.64 million An | +0.2% |
| 1981 | 31.65 million An | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 34.20 million An | +8.0% |
| 1983 | 33.20 million An | -2.9% |
| 1984 | 31.27 million An | -5.8% |
| 1985 | 30.26 million An | -3.2% |
| 1986 | 29.48 million An | -2.6% |
| 1987 | 29.75 million An | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 29.64 million An | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 30.93 million An | +4.4% |
| 1990 | 32.66 million An | +5.6% |
| 1991 | 32.58 million An | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 30.96 million An | -5.0% |
| 1993 | 28.93 million An | -6.5% |
| 1994 | 29.13 million An | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 28.78 million An | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 28.93 million An | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 29.19 million An | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 29.34 million An | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 28.68 million An | -2.3% |
| 2000 | 28.55 million An | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 28.80 million An | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 26.00 million An | -9.7% |
| 2003 | 25.82 million An | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 25.36 million An | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 25.33 million An | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 24.98 million An | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 25.08 million An | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 25.09 million An | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 24.99 million An | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 24.50 million An | -2.0% |
| 2011 | 24.30 million An | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 24.39 million An | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 24.53 million An | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 24.12 million An | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 23.94 million An | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 23.29 million An | -2.7% |
| 2017 | 22.69 million An | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 22.50 million An | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 22.09 million An | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 21.60 million An | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 21.46 million An | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 21.43 million An | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 21.43 million An | -0.0% |
| 2024 | 21.24 million An | -0.9% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 21.24 million An is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 517,128 An, 41.1× the median. (49 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 21.24 million An is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 1.91 million An, 11.1× the median. (45 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 38.40 million An | 36.67 million An | 40.31 million An | 9 |
| 1970s | 31.62 million An | 30.24 million An | 34.29 million An | 10 |
| 1980s | 31.20 million An | 29.48 million An | 34.20 million An | 10 |
| 1990s | 29.92 million An | 28.68 million An | 32.66 million An | 10 |
| 2000s | 26.00 million An | 24.98 million An | 28.80 million An | 10 |
| 2010s | 23.63 million An | 22.09 million An | 24.53 million An | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.43 million An | 21.24 million An | 21.60 million An | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 24 Ethiopia PDR 23.20 million An compare
- 25 Saudi Arabia 22.43 million An compare
- 26 Brazil 21.86 million An compare
- 28 Uzbekistan 21.03 million An compare
- 28 Uzbekistan 21.03 million An compare
- 30 Morocco 19.89 million An compare
More agriculture & rural data for South Africa
- Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate 0 % 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 0.1917 hectares per person (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0.0002 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 1.49 hectares per person (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual 7.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0283 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 186.56 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.812 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is sheep — stocks in South Africa?
- Sheep — stocks in South Africa was 21.24 million An in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest sheep — stocks recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 40.31 million An in 1966.
- What is the lowest sheep — stocks recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.24 million An in 2024.
- How does South Africa rank for sheep — stocks?
- South Africa ranks 27th out of 234 countries with data for 2024.
- Is sheep — stocks rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 11.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 — 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.