Sheep and Goats — Stocks in South Africa

South Africa: Sheep and Goats — Stocks was 26.55 million An in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
26.55 million An
Change on year
down 0.1%
World rank
25th
of 186 countries
All-time high
45.81 million An
in 1966
All-time low
26.55 million An
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Sheep and Goats — Stocks in South Africa, 1961–2023

010.0M20.0M30.0M40.0M50.0M196119922023

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in An.

Analysis

The most recent figure for sheep and goats — stocks in South Africa is 26.55 million An, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.

The figure is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 13.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, sheep and goats — stocks in South Africa peaked at 45.81 million An in 1966 and was at its lowest, 26.55 million An, in 2023.

That places South Africa 25th out of 186 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 43.80 million An 41.96 million An 45.81 million An 9
1970s 37.01 million An 35.59 million An 39.96 million An 10
1980s 37.04 million An 35.28 million An 40.06 million An 10
1990s 36.32 million An 35.02 million An 38.78 million An 10
2000s 32.44 million An 31.35 million An 35.35 million An 10
2010s 29.45 million An 27.34 million An 30.78 million An 10
2020s 26.63 million An 26.55 million An 26.77 million An 4

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 22 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 31.91 million An compare
  2. 23 Bangladesh 30.77 million An compare
  3. 24 South Sudan, Republic of 30.65 million An compare
  4. 26 Morocco 26.30 million An compare
  5. 27 Saudi Arabia 25.27 million An compare
  6. 28 New Zealand 24.42 million An compare

See the full ranking of 240 places →

More environment data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is sheep and goats — stocks in South Africa?
Sheep and goats — stocks in South Africa was 26.55 million An in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest sheep and goats — stocks recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 45.81 million An in 1966.
What is the lowest sheep and goats — stocks recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 26.55 million An in 2023.
How does South Africa rank for sheep and goats — stocks?
South Africa ranks 25th out of 186 countries with data for 2023.
Is sheep and goats — stocks rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is down 13.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this South Africa 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.

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CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).

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Sheep and Goats — Stocks in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 18 August 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/sheep-and-goats-stocks-2/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Sheep and Goats — Stocks
Unit
An
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
240 places, 13,693 data points, 1961–2023
Last refreshed

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).