Cattle and Buffaloes — Livestock units per agricultural land area in South Africa
South Africa: Cattle and Buffaloes — Livestock units per agricultural land area was 0.09 LSU/ha in 2023. ▲ Rising
Cattle and Buffaloes — Livestock units per agricultural land area in South Africa, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in LSU/ha.
Analysis
The most recent figure for cattle and buffaloes — livestock units per agricultural land area in South Africa is 0.09 LSU/ha, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 10.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cattle and buffaloes — livestock units per agricultural land area in South Africa peaked at 0.11 LSU/ha in 1979 and was at its lowest, 0.08 LSU/ha, in 1966.
South Africa ranks 145th of 190 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Cattle and Buffaloes — Livestock units per agricultural land area in South Africa, year by year
| Year | LSU/ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.09 LSU/ha | — |
| 1962 | 0.09 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.09 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.09 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.09 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.08 LSU/ha | -11.1% |
| 1967 | 0.08 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.08 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.08 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 0.08 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 0.08 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.08 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.09 LSU/ha | +12.5% |
| 1974 | 0.09 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 0.09 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.1 LSU/ha | +11.1% |
| 1977 | 0.1 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 0.1 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.11 LSU/ha | +10.0% |
| 1980 | 0.1 LSU/ha | -9.1% |
| 1981 | 0.1 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 0.1 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 0.1 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.1 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 0.09 LSU/ha | -10.0% |
| 1986 | 0.09 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.09 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.09 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.09 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.1 LSU/ha | +11.1% |
| 1991 | 0.1 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.1 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.09 LSU/ha | -10.0% |
| 1994 | 0.09 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0.09 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.09 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 0.1 LSU/ha | +11.1% |
| 1998 | 0.1 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.1 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.1 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.1 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.1 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.1 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.1 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.1 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.1 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.1 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.1 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.1 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.1 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.1 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.1 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.1 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 0.1 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.1 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 0.1 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.09 LSU/ha | -10.0% |
| 2018 | 0.09 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.09 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 0.09 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.09 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 0.09 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.09 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.0856 LSU/ha | 0.08 LSU/ha | 0.09 LSU/ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.092 LSU/ha | 0.08 LSU/ha | 0.11 LSU/ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.095 LSU/ha | 0.09 LSU/ha | 0.1 LSU/ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.096 LSU/ha | 0.09 LSU/ha | 0.1 LSU/ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1 LSU/ha | 0.1 LSU/ha | 0.1 LSU/ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.097 LSU/ha | 0.09 LSU/ha | 0.1 LSU/ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.09 LSU/ha | 0.09 LSU/ha | 0.09 LSU/ha | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
More environment data for South Africa
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.46 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 8.52 Percentage change (2025)
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.275 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.05 °C (2025)
- Sawlogs and veneer logs — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Sawlogs and veneer logs, non-coniferous — Production, annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Other industrial roundwood — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Other industrial roundwood, non-coniferous (production) — Production 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Wood charcoal — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cattle and buffaloes — livestock units per agricultural land area in South Africa?
- Cattle and buffaloes — livestock units per agricultural land area in South Africa was 0.09 LSU/ha in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest cattle and buffaloes — livestock units per agricultural land area recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.11 LSU/ha in 1979.
- What is the lowest cattle and buffaloes — livestock units per agricultural land area recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.08 LSU/ha in 1966.
- How does South Africa rank for cattle and buffaloes — livestock units per agricultural land area?
- South Africa ranks 145th out of 190 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cattle and buffaloes — livestock units per agricultural land area rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Africa data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Cattle and Buffaloes — Livestock units per agricultural land area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).
About this data
The Livestock Patterns domain of FAOSTAT contains data on livestock numbers, shares of major livestock species and densities of livestock units in the agricultural land area. Values are calculated using Livestock Units (LSU), which facilitate aggregating information for different livestock types. Data are available by country, with global coverage, for the period 1961 to the most recent year available with annual updates. This methodology applies the LSU coefficients reported in the "Guidelines for the preparation of livestock sector reviews" (FAO, 2011). From this publication, LSU coefficients are computed by livestock type and by country. The reference unit used for the calculation of livestock units (=1 LSU) is the grazing equivalent of one adult dairy cow producing 3000 kg of milk annually, fed without additional concentrated foodstuffs. FAOSTAT agri-environmental indicators on livestock patterns closely follow the structure of the indicators in EUROSTAT.