How does Ireland rank for sheep and goats — livestock units per agricultural land area?

Ireland ranks 55th out of 187 countries with data for 2023.

Is sheep and goats — livestock units per agricultural land area rising or falling in Ireland?

Over the last ten years it is down 18.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this Ireland data come from?

The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Sheep and Goats — Livestock units per agricultural land area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Sheep and Goats — Livestock units per agricultural land area in Ireland

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

Ireland: Sheep and Goats — Livestock units per agricultural land area was 0.09 LSU/ha in 2023. ▲ Rising

Latest (2023)

0.09 LSU/ha

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

55th

of 187 countries

All-time high

0.17 LSU/ha

in 2000

All-time low

0.05 LSU/ha

in 1976

Years of data

1961–2023

Sheep and Goats — Livestock units per agricultural land area in Ireland, 1961–2023

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for sheep and goats — livestock units per agricultural land area in Ireland is 0.09 LSU/ha, measured in 2023.

That represents a change of down 18.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, sheep and goats — livestock units per agricultural land area in Ireland peaked at 0.17 LSU/ha in 2000 and was at its lowest, 0.05 LSU/ha, in 1976.

That places Ireland 55th out of 187 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

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

Sheep and Goats — Livestock units per agricultural land area in Ireland, year by year

Annual values for Sheep and Goats — Livestock units per agricultural land area in Ireland, 1961 to 2023.
Year	LSU/ha	Change
1961	0.07 LSU/ha	—
1962	0.07 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1963	0.07 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1964	0.07 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1965	0.07 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1966	0.07 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1967	0.06 LSU/ha	-14.3%
1968	0.06 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1969	0.06 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1970	0.06 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1971	0.06 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1972	0.06 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1973	0.06 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1974	0.06 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1975	0.06 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1976	0.05 LSU/ha	-16.7%
1977	0.05 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1978	0.05 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1979	0.05 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1980	0.05 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1981	0.05 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1982	0.05 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1983	0.05 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1984	0.06 LSU/ha	+20.0%
1985	0.06 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1986	0.07 LSU/ha	+16.7%
1987	0.08 LSU/ha	+14.3%
1988	0.09 LSU/ha	+12.5%
1989	0.11 LSU/ha	+22.2%
1990	0.13 LSU/ha	+18.2%
1991	0.13 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1992	0.14 LSU/ha	+7.7%
1993	0.14 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1994	0.14 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1995	0.13 LSU/ha	-7.1%
1996	0.13 LSU/ha	+0.0%
1997	0.12 LSU/ha	-7.7%
1998	0.13 LSU/ha	+8.3%
1999	0.13 LSU/ha	+0.0%
2000	0.17 LSU/ha	+30.8%
2001	0.17 LSU/ha	+0.0%
2002	0.17 LSU/ha	+0.0%
2003	0.16 LSU/ha	-5.9%
2004	0.16 LSU/ha	+0.0%
2005	0.15 LSU/ha	-6.3%
2006	0.14 LSU/ha	-6.7%
2007	0.13 LSU/ha	-7.1%
2008	0.11 LSU/ha	-15.4%
2009	0.1 LSU/ha	-9.1%
2010	0.1 LSU/ha	+0.0%
2011	0.11 LSU/ha	+10.0%
2012	0.11 LSU/ha	+0.0%
2013	0.11 LSU/ha	+0.0%
2014	0.11 LSU/ha	+0.0%
2015	0.12 LSU/ha	+9.1%
2016	0.12 LSU/ha	+0.0%
2017	0.12 LSU/ha	+0.0%
2018	0.08 LSU/ha	-33.3%
2019	0.08 LSU/ha	+0.0%
2020	0.09 LSU/ha	+12.5%
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	0.0667 LSU/ha	0.06 LSU/ha	0.07 LSU/ha	9
1970s	0.056 LSU/ha	0.05 LSU/ha	0.06 LSU/ha	10
1980s	0.067 LSU/ha	0.05 LSU/ha	0.11 LSU/ha	10
1990s	0.132 LSU/ha	0.12 LSU/ha	0.14 LSU/ha	10
2000s	0.146 LSU/ha	0.1 LSU/ha	0.17 LSU/ha	10
2010s	0.106 LSU/ha	0.08 LSU/ha	0.12 LSU/ha	10
2020s	0.09 LSU/ha	0.09 LSU/ha	0.09 LSU/ha	4

Countries ranked near Ireland

52 Cameroon 0.1 LSU/ha compare
52 Fiji 0.1 LSU/ha compare
52 Rwanda 0.1 LSU/ha compare
55 Algeria 0.09 LSU/ha compare
55 Bosnia and Herzegovina 0.09 LSU/ha compare
55 Gambia 0.09 LSU/ha compare
55 Iraq 0.09 LSU/ha compare
55 Lesotho 0.09 LSU/ha compare
55 Morocco 0.09 LSU/ha compare
55 Romania 0.09 LSU/ha compare
55 Uzbekistan 0.09 LSU/ha compare
55 Yemen 0.09 LSU/ha compare

See the full ranking of 238 places →

More environment data for Ireland

Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 2.51 Percentage change (2025)
Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.17 Percentage change (2025)
Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
Standard Deviation 0.412 °C (2025)
Temperature change 1.89 °C (2025)
Plywood and LVL — Import quantity, annual growth rate 24.32 % change on previous year (2024)
Plywood and LVL — Import quantity, per unit of GDP 0 m3 per US$ of GDP (2024)
Plywood and LVL — Import quantity, per capita 0.0104 m3 per person (2024)
Plywood and LVL — Import value, annual growth rate 17.61 % change on previous year (2024)
Plywood and LVL — Import value, per unit of GDP 0 1000 USD per US$ of GDP (2024)

All data for Ireland →

Frequently asked questions

What is sheep and goats — livestock units per agricultural land area in Ireland?: Sheep and goats — livestock units per agricultural land area in Ireland was 0.09 LSU/ha in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest sheep and goats — livestock units per agricultural land area recorded in Ireland?: The highest recorded value was 0.17 LSU/ha in 2000.
What is the lowest sheep and goats — livestock units per agricultural land area recorded in Ireland?: The lowest recorded value was 0.05 LSU/ha in 1976.
How does Ireland rank for sheep and goats — livestock units per agricultural land area?: Ireland ranks 55th out of 187 countries with data for 2023.
Is sheep and goats — livestock units per agricultural land area rising or falling in Ireland?: Over the last ten years it is down 18.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Ireland data come from?: The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Sheep and Goats — Livestock units per agricultural land area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Sheep and Goats — Livestock units per agricultural land area in Ireland. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 01 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/sheep-and-goats-livestock-units-per-agricultural-land-area/ireland/

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About this data

Indicator: Sheep and Goats — 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: 238 places, 13,567 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.