Sheep and Goats — Stocks in Ireland
Ireland: Sheep and Goats — Stocks was 3.74 million An in 2023. ▲ Rising
Sheep and Goats — Stocks in Ireland, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in An.
Analysis
In 2023, sheep and goats — stocks in Ireland stood at 3.74 million An.
That represents a change of down 7.1% on the previous year and down 25.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sheep and goats — stocks in Ireland peaked at 7.56 million An in 2000 and was at its lowest, 2.34 million An, in 1981.
That places Ireland 73rd 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 — Stocks in Ireland, year by year
| Year | An | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 3.11 million An | — |
| 1962 | 3.38 million An | +8.7% |
| 1963 | 3.33 million An | -1.3% |
| 1964 | 3.39 million An | +1.6% |
| 1965 | 3.46 million An | +2.0% |
| 1966 | 3.46 million An | +0.2% |
| 1967 | 3.06 million An | -11.7% |
| 1968 | 2.99 million An | -2.2% |
| 1969 | 2.85 million An | -4.6% |
| 1970 | 2.79 million An | -2.2% |
| 1971 | 2.84 million An | +1.7% |
| 1972 | 2.86 million An | +0.9% |
| 1973 | 2.83 million An | -1.0% |
| 1974 | 2.84 million An | +0.3% |
| 1975 | 2.71 million An | -4.7% |
| 1976 | 2.65 million An | -2.1% |
| 1977 | 2.58 million An | -2.7% |
| 1978 | 2.53 million An | -2.2% |
| 1979 | 2.42 million An | -4.3% |
| 1980 | 2.36 million An | -2.4% |
| 1981 | 2.34 million An | -0.7% |
| 1982 | 2.45 million An | +4.5% |
| 1983 | 2.61 million An | +6.5% |
| 1984 | 2.81 million An | +7.8% |
| 1985 | 3.08 million An | +9.5% |
| 1986 | 3.30 million An | +7.2% |
| 1987 | 3.67 million An | +11.1% |
| 1988 | 4.30 million An | +17.1% |
| 1989 | 4.99 million An | +16.1% |
| 1990 | 5.71 million An | +14.5% |
| 1991 | 5.88 million An | +2.9% |
| 1992 | 6.00 million An | +2.0% |
| 1993 | 6.13 million An | +2.1% |
| 1994 | 5.98 million An | -2.4% |
| 1995 | 5.76 million An | -3.8% |
| 1996 | 5.56 million An | -3.4% |
| 1997 | 5.36 million An | -3.6% |
| 1998 | 5.59 million An | +4.4% |
| 1999 | 5.57 million An | -0.4% |
| 2000 | 7.56 million An | +35.7% |
| 2001 | 7.34 million An | -3.0% |
| 2002 | 7.22 million An | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 6.86 million An | -5.0% |
| 2004 | 6.78 million An | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 6.40 million An | -5.7% |
| 2006 | 5.98 million An | -6.6% |
| 2007 | 5.53 million An | -7.5% |
| 2008 | 5.07 million An | -8.3% |
| 2009 | 4.79 million An | -5.6% |
| 2010 | 4.76 million An | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 4.84 million An | +1.8% |
| 2012 | 5.18 million An | +7.0% |
| 2013 | 5.02 million An | -3.2% |
| 2014 | 5.11 million An | +1.8% |
| 2015 | 5.15 million An | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 5.19 million An | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 5.21 million An | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 3.81 million An | -26.8% |
| 2019 | 3.82 million An | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 3.88 million An | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 3.99 million An | +2.9% |
| 2022 | 4.03 million An | +0.9% |
| 2023 | 3.74 million An | -7.1% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 3.74 million An is above the median for high income countries, which is 334,970 An, 11.2× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 3.74 million An is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 807,486 An, 4.6× the median. (44 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Sheep and Goats — Stocks in Ireland changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | +35.7% | 5.57 million An | 7.56 million An |
| 2018 | -26.8% | 5.21 million An | 3.81 million An |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.22 million An | 2.85 million An | 3.46 million An | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.71 million An | 2.42 million An | 2.86 million An | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.19 million An | 2.34 million An | 4.99 million An | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.75 million An | 5.36 million An | 6.13 million An | 10 |
| 2000s | 6.35 million An | 4.79 million An | 7.56 million An | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.81 million An | 3.81 million An | 5.21 million An | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.91 million An | 3.74 million An | 4.03 million An | 4 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
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)
- Wood-based panels — Production, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -1.13 % 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 -0.0083 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is sheep and goats — stocks in Ireland?
- Sheep and goats — stocks in Ireland was 3.74 million An in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest sheep and goats — stocks recorded in Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 7.56 million An in 2000.
- What is the lowest sheep and goats — stocks recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.34 million An in 1981.
- How does Ireland rank for sheep and goats — stocks?
- Ireland ranks 73rd out of 187 countries with data for 2023.
- Is sheep and goats — stocks rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.4%. 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 — Stocks. 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 Manure domain of FAOSTAT contains estimates of nitrogen (N) inputs to agricultural soils from livestock manure. Data on the N losses to air and water are also disseminated. These estimates are compiled using official FAOSTAT statistics of animal stocks and by applying the internationally approved Guidelines of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Data are available by country, with global coverage and updated annually.The following elements are disseminated: 1) Stocks; 2) Amount excreted in manure (N content); 3) Manure left on pasture (N content); 4) Manure left on pasture that volatilises (N content); 5) Manure left on pasture that leaches (N content); 6) Manure treated (N content); 7) Losses from manure treated (N content); 8) Manure applied to soils (N content); 9) Manure applied to soils that volatilises (N content); 10) Manure applied to soils that leaches (N content).