How does Sri Lanka rank for cattle and buffaloes — livestock units per agricultural land area?

Sri Lanka ranks 88th out of 190 countries with data for 2023.

Is cattle and buffaloes — livestock units per agricultural land area rising or falling in Sri Lanka?

Over the last ten years it is down 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.

Where does this Sri Lanka 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.

Cattle and Buffaloes — Livestock units per agricultural land area in Sri Lanka

Name: Cattle and Buffaloes — Livestock units per agricultural land area in Sri Lanka
Creator: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)

Sri Lanka: Cattle and Buffaloes — Livestock units per agricultural land area was 0.24 LSU/ha in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)

0.24 LSU/ha

Change on year

down 7.7%

World rank

88th

of 190 countries

All-time high

0.69 LSU/ha

in 1965

All-time low

0.22 LSU/ha

in 2016

Years of data

1961–2023

Cattle and Buffaloes — Livestock units per agricultural land area in Sri Lanka, 1961–2023

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in LSU/ha.

Analysis

Sri Lanka recorded 0.24 LSU/ha for cattle and buffaloes — livestock units per agricultural land area in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.7% on the previous year and down 14.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, cattle and buffaloes — livestock units per agricultural land area in Sri Lanka peaked at 0.69 LSU/ha in 1965 and was at its lowest, 0.22 LSU/ha, in 2016.

That places Sri Lanka 88th out of 190 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.

Cattle and Buffaloes — Livestock units per agricultural land area in Sri Lanka, year by year

Annual values for Cattle and Buffaloes — Livestock units per agricultural land area in Sri Lanka, 1961 to 2023.
Year	LSU/ha	Change
1961	0.66 LSU/ha	—
1962	0.63 LSU/ha	-4.5%
1963	0.59 LSU/ha	-6.3%
1964	0.68 LSU/ha	+15.3%
1965	0.69 LSU/ha	+1.5%
1966	0.58 LSU/ha	-15.9%
1967	0.54 LSU/ha	-6.9%
1968	0.53 LSU/ha	-1.9%
1969	0.5 LSU/ha	-5.7%
1970	0.5 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1971	0.5 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1972	0.5 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1973	0.51 LSU/ha	+2.0%
1974	0.52 LSU/ha	+2.0%
1975	0.54 LSU/ha	+3.8%
1976	0.54 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1977	0.51 LSU/ha	-5.6%
1978	0.48 LSU/ha	-5.9%
1979	0.52 LSU/ha	+8.3%
1980	0.53 LSU/ha	+1.9%
1981	0.56 LSU/ha	+5.7%
1982	0.56 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1983	0.57 LSU/ha	+1.8%
1984	0.58 LSU/ha	+1.8%
1985	0.59 LSU/ha	+1.7%
1986	0.59 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1987	0.6 LSU/ha	+1.7%
1988	0.59 LSU/ha	-1.7%
1989	0.6 LSU/ha	+1.7%
1990	0.58 LSU/ha	-3.3%
1991	0.49 LSU/ha	-15.5%
1992	0.53 LSU/ha	+8.2%
1993	0.54 LSU/ha	+1.9%
1994	0.54 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1995	0.53 LSU/ha	-1.9%
1996	0.52 LSU/ha	-1.9%
1997	0.5 LSU/ha	-3.8%
1998	0.32 LSU/ha	-36.0%
1999	0.32 LSU/ha	+0.0%
2000	0.31 LSU/ha	-3.1%
2001	0.31 LSU/ha	+0.0%
2002	0.3 LSU/ha	-3.2%
2003	0.3 LSU/ha	+0.0%
2004	0.32 LSU/ha	+6.7%
2005	0.3 LSU/ha	-6.3%
2006	0.31 LSU/ha	+3.3%
2007	0.32 LSU/ha	+3.2%
2008	0.29 LSU/ha	-9.4%
2009	0.29 LSU/ha	+0.0%
2010	0.3 LSU/ha	+3.4%
2011	0.29 LSU/ha	-3.3%
2012	0.3 LSU/ha	+3.4%
2013	0.28 LSU/ha	-6.7%
2014	0.26 LSU/ha	-7.1%
2015	0.26 LSU/ha	+0.0%
2016	0.22 LSU/ha	-15.4%
2017	0.23 LSU/ha	+4.5%
2018	0.25 LSU/ha	+8.7%
2019	0.25 LSU/ha	+0.0%
2020	0.25 LSU/ha	+0.0%
2021	0.26 LSU/ha	+4.0%
2022	0.26 LSU/ha	+0.0%
2023	0.24 LSU/ha	-7.7%

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	0.6 LSU/ha	0.5 LSU/ha	0.69 LSU/ha	9
1970s	0.512 LSU/ha	0.48 LSU/ha	0.54 LSU/ha	10
1980s	0.577 LSU/ha	0.53 LSU/ha	0.6 LSU/ha	10
1990s	0.487 LSU/ha	0.32 LSU/ha	0.58 LSU/ha	10
2000s	0.305 LSU/ha	0.29 LSU/ha	0.32 LSU/ha	10
2010s	0.264 LSU/ha	0.22 LSU/ha	0.3 LSU/ha	10
2020s	0.2525 LSU/ha	0.24 LSU/ha	0.26 LSU/ha	4

Countries ranked near Sri Lanka

85 Antigua and Barbuda 0.25 LSU/ha compare
85 Guinea 0.25 LSU/ha compare
85 South Sudan 0.25 LSU/ha compare
89 Czechia 0.23 LSU/ha compare
89 Fiji 0.23 LSU/ha compare
89 Indonesia 0.23 LSU/ha compare
89 Spain 0.23 LSU/ha compare

See the full ranking of 241 places →

More environment data for Sri Lanka

Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 5.24 Percentage change (2025)
Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 5.49 Percentage change (2025)
Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Standard Deviation 0.207 °C (2025)
Temperature change 0.849 °C (2025)
Wood-based panels — Import quantity, annual growth rate 20.3 % change on previous year (2024)
Wood-based panels — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 m3 per US$ of GDP (2024)
Wood-based panels — Import quantity, per capita 0.0024 m3 per person (2024)
Wood-based panels — Import value, annual growth rate 13.66 % change on previous year (2024)
Wood-based panels — Import value, per unit of GDP 0 1000 USD per US$ of GDP (2024)

All data for Sri Lanka →

Frequently asked questions

What is cattle and buffaloes — livestock units per agricultural land area in Sri Lanka?: Cattle and buffaloes — livestock units per agricultural land area in Sri Lanka was 0.24 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 Sri Lanka?: The highest recorded value was 0.69 LSU/ha in 1965.
What is the lowest cattle and buffaloes — livestock units per agricultural land area recorded in Sri Lanka?: The lowest recorded value was 0.22 LSU/ha in 2016.
How does Sri Lanka rank for cattle and buffaloes — livestock units per agricultural land area?: Sri Lanka ranks 88th out of 190 countries with data for 2023.
Is cattle and buffaloes — livestock units per agricultural land area rising or falling in Sri Lanka?: Over the last ten years it is down 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Sri Lanka 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.

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Cattle and Buffaloes — Livestock units per agricultural land area in Sri Lanka. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 02 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/cattle-and-buffaloes-livestock-units-per-agricultural-land-area/sri-lanka/

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About this data

Indicator: Cattle and Buffaloes — Livestock units per agricultural land area
Unit: LSU/ha
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage: 241 places, 13,793 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed: 12 August 2026

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.