Major livestock types — Livestock units per agricultural land area in South Africa
South Africa: Major livestock types — Livestock units per agricultural land area was 0.14 LSU/ha in 2023. ▲ Rising
Major livestock types — 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 major livestock types — livestock units per agricultural land area in South Africa is 0.14 LSU/ha, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 12.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, major livestock types — livestock units per agricultural land area in South Africa peaked at 0.16 LSU/ha in 2008 and was at its lowest, 0.13 LSU/ha, in 1966.
That places South Africa 171st out of 194 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Major livestock types — Livestock units per agricultural land area in South Africa, year by year
| Year | LSU/ha | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.14 LSU/ha | — |
| 1962 | 0.14 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 0.14 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 0.14 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1965 | 0.14 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 0.13 LSU/ha | -7.1% |
| 1967 | 0.13 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 0.13 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1969 | 0.14 LSU/ha | +7.7% |
| 1970 | 0.13 LSU/ha | -7.1% |
| 1971 | 0.13 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 0.13 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.13 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1974 | 0.14 LSU/ha | +7.7% |
| 1975 | 0.14 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 0.14 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 0.15 LSU/ha | +7.1% |
| 1978 | 0.15 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 0.15 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1980 | 0.15 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1981 | 0.14 LSU/ha | -6.7% |
| 1982 | 0.15 LSU/ha | +7.1% |
| 1983 | 0.15 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 0.14 LSU/ha | -6.7% |
| 1985 | 0.14 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 0.14 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 0.14 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 0.14 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 0.14 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 0.15 LSU/ha | +7.1% |
| 1991 | 0.15 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 0.15 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 0.15 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 0.14 LSU/ha | -6.7% |
| 1995 | 0.14 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 0.15 LSU/ha | +7.1% |
| 1997 | 0.15 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 0.15 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 0.15 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 0.15 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 0.15 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 0.15 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.15 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 0.15 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 0.15 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 0.15 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 0.15 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 0.16 LSU/ha | +6.7% |
| 2009 | 0.16 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 0.16 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 0.16 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 0.16 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 0.16 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 0.16 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 0.15 LSU/ha | -6.3% |
| 2016 | 0.15 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 0.15 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 0.15 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 0.14 LSU/ha | -6.7% |
| 2020 | 0.14 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 0.14 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 0.14 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 0.14 LSU/ha | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.1367 LSU/ha | 0.13 LSU/ha | 0.14 LSU/ha | 9 |
| 1970s | 0.139 LSU/ha | 0.13 LSU/ha | 0.15 LSU/ha | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.143 LSU/ha | 0.14 LSU/ha | 0.15 LSU/ha | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.148 LSU/ha | 0.14 LSU/ha | 0.15 LSU/ha | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.152 LSU/ha | 0.15 LSU/ha | 0.16 LSU/ha | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.154 LSU/ha | 0.14 LSU/ha | 0.16 LSU/ha | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.14 LSU/ha | 0.14 LSU/ha | 0.14 LSU/ha | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Africa
- 170 Niue 0.15 LSU/ha compare
- 171 Zambia 0.14 LSU/ha compare
- 173 Bulgaria 0.13 LSU/ha compare
- 173 Equatorial Guinea 0.13 LSU/ha compare
- 173 Australia and New Zealand 0.13 LSU/ha compare
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 major livestock types — livestock units per agricultural land area in South Africa?
- Major livestock types — livestock units per agricultural land area in South Africa was 0.14 LSU/ha in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest major livestock types — livestock units per agricultural land area recorded in South Africa?
- The highest recorded value was 0.16 LSU/ha in 2008.
- What is the lowest major livestock types — livestock units per agricultural land area recorded in South Africa?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.13 LSU/ha in 1966.
- How does South Africa rank for major livestock types — livestock units per agricultural land area?
- South Africa ranks 171st out of 194 countries with data for 2023.
- Is major livestock types — livestock units per agricultural land area rising or falling in South Africa?
- Over the last ten years it is down 12.5%. 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 Major livestock types — 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.