Sheep — Stocks, per square kilometre in South Africa
South Africa: Sheep — Stocks, per square kilometre was 17.66 An per square kilometre in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
17.66 An per square kilometre
Change on year
down 0.0%
World rank
61st
of 159 countries
All-time high
33.23 An per square kilometre
in 1966
All-time low
17.66 An per square kilometre
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023
Sheep — Stocks, per square kilometre in South Africa, 1961–2023
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in An per square kilometre.
Analysis
In 2023, sheep — stocks, per square kilometre in South Africa stood at 17.66 An per square kilometre. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 12.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sheep — stocks, per square kilometre in South Africa peaked at 33.23 An per square kilometre in 1966 and was at its lowest, 17.66 An per square kilometre, in 2023.
South Africa ranks 61st of 159 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Sheep — Stocks, per square kilometre in South Africa, year by year
| Year | An per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 31.24 An per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 31.32 An per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 1963 | 31.32 An per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 30.23 An per square kilometre | -3.5% |
| 1965 | 30.5 An per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 1966 | 33.23 An per square kilometre | +8.9% |
| 1967 | 32.01 An per square kilometre | -3.7% |
| 1968 | 32.6 An per square kilometre | +1.8% |
| 1969 | 32.44 An per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 1970 | 28.26 An per square kilometre | -12.9% |
| 1971 | 27.3 An per square kilometre | -3.4% |
| 1972 | 24.93 An per square kilometre | -8.7% |
| 1973 | 25.34 An per square kilometre | +1.7% |
| 1974 | 24.97 An per square kilometre | -1.5% |
| 1975 | 25.55 An per square kilometre | +2.3% |
| 1976 | 25.56 An per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 26.35 An per square kilometre | +3.1% |
| 1978 | 26.38 An per square kilometre | +0.1% |
| 1979 | 26.04 An per square kilometre | -1.3% |
| 1980 | 26.08 An per square kilometre | +0.2% |
| 1981 | 26.09 An per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 28.19 An per square kilometre | +8.0% |
| 1983 | 27.37 An per square kilometre | -2.9% |
| 1984 | 25.77 An per square kilometre | -5.8% |
| 1985 | 24.94 An per square kilometre | -3.2% |
| 1986 | 24.3 An per square kilometre | -2.6% |
| 1987 | 24.53 An per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 1988 | 24.43 An per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 1989 | 25.5 An per square kilometre | +4.4% |
| 1990 | 26.93 An per square kilometre | +5.6% |
| 1991 | 26.86 An per square kilometre | -0.3% |
| 1992 | 25.52 An per square kilometre | -5.0% |
| 1993 | 23.85 An per square kilometre | -6.5% |
| 1994 | 24.02 An per square kilometre | +0.7% |
| 1995 | 23.73 An per square kilometre | -1.2% |
| 1996 | 23.85 An per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 1997 | 24.06 An per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 24.19 An per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 1999 | 23.64 An per square kilometre | -2.3% |
| 2000 | 23.54 An per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 2001 | 23.74 An per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 21.43 An per square kilometre | -9.7% |
| 2003 | 21.28 An per square kilometre | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 20.91 An per square kilometre | -1.8% |
| 2005 | 20.88 An per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 20.59 An per square kilometre | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 20.68 An per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 20.69 An per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 20.6 An per square kilometre | -0.4% |
| 2010 | 20.2 An per square kilometre | -2.0% |
| 2011 | 20.03 An per square kilometre | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 20.11 An per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 20.22 An per square kilometre | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 19.89 An per square kilometre | -1.7% |
| 2015 | 19.73 An per square kilometre | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 19.2 An per square kilometre | -2.7% |
| 2017 | 18.7 An per square kilometre | -2.6% |
| 2018 | 18.55 An per square kilometre | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 18.21 An per square kilometre | -1.8% |
| 2020 | 17.81 An per square kilometre | -2.2% |
| 2021 | 17.69 An per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 17.67 An per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 17.66 An per square kilometre | -0.0% |
South Africa compared with similar countries
- South Africa's 17.66 An per square kilometre is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 5.76 An per square kilometre, 3.1× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- South Africa's 17.66 An per square kilometre is above the median for Sub-Saharan Africa, which is 13.95 An per square kilometre, 1.3× the median. (43 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 31.65 An per square kilometre | 30.23 An per square kilometre | 33.23 An per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 26.07 An per square kilometre | 24.93 An per square kilometre | 28.26 An per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 25.72 An per square kilometre | 24.3 An per square kilometre | 28.19 An per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 24.66 An per square kilometre | 23.64 An per square kilometre | 26.93 An per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.43 An per square kilometre | 20.59 An per square kilometre | 23.74 An per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 19.48 An per square kilometre | 18.21 An per square kilometre | 20.22 An per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.71 An per square kilometre | 17.66 An per square kilometre | 17.81 An per square kilometre | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 58 Mongolia 18.87 An per square kilometre compare
- 59 Afghanistan 18.64 An per square kilometre compare
- 60 Gambia 18.51 An per square kilometre compare
- 62 Guinea-Bissau 16.79 An per square kilometre compare
- 63 Iraq 15.7 An per square kilometre compare
- 64 Saint Lucia 15.18 An per square kilometre compare
More agriculture & rural data for South Africa
- 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)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0.0001 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3618 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 2.8% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 2.8% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 2.0% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is sheep — stocks, per square kilometre in South Africa?
- Sheep — stocks, per square kilometre in South Africa was 17.66 An per square kilometre in 2023, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest sheep — stocks, per square kilometre recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 33.23 An per square kilometre in 1966.
- What is the lowest sheep — stocks, per square kilometre recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 17.66 An per square kilometre in 2023.
- How does South Africa rank for sheep — stocks, per square kilometre?
- South Africa ranks 61st out of 159 countries with data for 2023.
- Is sheep — stocks, per square kilometre rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Sheep — Stocks, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Sheep — Stocks divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Sheep — Stocks ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Sheep — Stocks Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Sheep — Stocks divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.