Cattle — Share in total livestock in China
China: Cattle — Share in total livestock was 17.8 %LSU in 2023. ▼ Falling
Cattle — Share in total livestock in China, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %LSU.
Analysis
China recorded 17.8 %LSU for cattle — share in total livestock in 2023.
That represents a change of up 4.0% on the previous year and up 14.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, cattle — share in total livestock in China peaked at 37.71 %LSU in 1961 and was at its lowest, 15.5 %LSU, in 2013.
China ranks 158th of 190 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
Cattle — Share in total livestock in China, year by year
| Year | %LSU | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 37.71 %LSU | — |
| 1962 | 36.9 %LSU | -2.1% |
| 1963 | 34.14 %LSU | -7.5% |
| 1964 | 31.29 %LSU | -8.3% |
| 1965 | 31.09 %LSU | -0.6% |
| 1966 | 29.83 %LSU | -4.1% |
| 1967 | 28.96 %LSU | -2.9% |
| 1968 | 29.07 %LSU | +0.4% |
| 1969 | 29.83 %LSU | +2.6% |
| 1970 | 30.08 %LSU | +0.8% |
| 1971 | 27.81 %LSU | -7.5% |
| 1972 | 25.48 %LSU | -8.4% |
| 1973 | 24.63 %LSU | -3.3% |
| 1974 | 24.41 %LSU | -0.9% |
| 1975 | 24.18 %LSU | -0.9% |
| 1976 | 22.92 %LSU | -5.2% |
| 1977 | 22.25 %LSU | -2.9% |
| 1978 | 21.63 %LSU | -2.8% |
| 1979 | 21.05 %LSU | -2.7% |
| 1980 | 20.09 %LSU | -4.6% |
| 1981 | 20.43 %LSU | +1.7% |
| 1982 | 21.05 %LSU | +3.0% |
| 1983 | 21.64 %LSU | +2.8% |
| 1984 | 22.36 %LSU | +3.3% |
| 1985 | 23.05 %LSU | +3.1% |
| 1986 | 23.17 %LSU | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 23.54 %LSU | +1.6% |
| 1988 | 24.1 %LSU | +2.4% |
| 1989 | 23.99 %LSU | -0.5% |
| 1990 | 23.94 %LSU | -0.2% |
| 1991 | 23.94 %LSU | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 23.89 %LSU | -0.2% |
| 1993 | 23.91 %LSU | +0.1% |
| 1994 | 24.34 %LSU | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 25.27 %LSU | +3.8% |
| 1996 | 25.46 %LSU | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 24.26 %LSU | -4.7% |
| 1998 | 25.54 %LSU | +5.3% |
| 1999 | 25.06 %LSU | -1.9% |
| 2000 | 25.06 %LSU | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 24.62 %LSU | -1.8% |
| 2002 | 23.35 %LSU | -5.2% |
| 2003 | 23.02 %LSU | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 22.7 %LSU | -1.4% |
| 2005 | 21.89 %LSU | -3.6% |
| 2006 | 21.22 %LSU | -3.1% |
| 2007 | 20.38 %LSU | -4.0% |
| 2008 | 19.89 %LSU | -2.4% |
| 2009 | 16.6 %LSU | -16.5% |
| 2010 | 16.4 %LSU | -1.2% |
| 2011 | 16.17 %LSU | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 15.62 %LSU | -3.4% |
| 2013 | 15.5 %LSU | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 15.62 %LSU | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 15.61 %LSU | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 15.74 %LSU | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 15.71 %LSU | -0.2% |
| 2018 | 16.17 %LSU | +2.9% |
| 2019 | 18.34 %LSU | +13.4% |
| 2020 | 17.13 %LSU | -6.6% |
| 2021 | 16.71 %LSU | -2.5% |
| 2022 | 17.12 %LSU | +2.5% |
| 2023 | 17.8 %LSU | +4.0% |
China compared with similar countries
- China's 17.8 %LSU is below the median for upper middle income countries, which is 38.91 %LSU, 46% of the median. (49 countries reporting)
- China's 17.8 %LSU is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 35.4 %LSU, 50% of the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 32.09 %LSU | 28.96 %LSU | 37.71 %LSU | 9 |
| 1970s | 24.44 %LSU | 21.05 %LSU | 30.08 %LSU | 10 |
| 1980s | 22.34 %LSU | 20.09 %LSU | 24.1 %LSU | 10 |
| 1990s | 24.56 %LSU | 23.89 %LSU | 25.54 %LSU | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.87 %LSU | 16.6 %LSU | 25.06 %LSU | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.09 %LSU | 15.5 %LSU | 18.34 %LSU | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.19 %LSU | 16.71 %LSU | 17.8 %LSU | 4 |
Countries ranked near China
- 155 Tonga 19.88 %LSU compare
- 156 Philippines 19.67 %LSU compare
- 157 China, mainland 17.93 %LSU compare
- 159 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 17.28 %LSU compare
- 160 Algeria 17.22 %LSU compare
- 161 Guyana 17.14 %LSU compare
More environment data for China
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.279 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.92 °C (2025)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 5.29 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual 0.8065 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -0.2517 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is cattle — share in total livestock in China?
- Cattle — share in total livestock in China was 17.8 %LSU in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest cattle — share in total livestock recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 37.71 %LSU in 1961.
- What is the lowest cattle — share in total livestock recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.5 %LSU in 2013.
- How does China rank for cattle — share in total livestock?
- China ranks 158th out of 190 countries with data for 2023.
- Is cattle — share in total livestock rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 14.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Cattle — Share in total livestock. 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.