Sheep — Share in total livestock in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Sheep — Share in total livestock was 20.9 %LSU in 2023. ▲ Rising
Sheep — Share in total livestock in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 1961–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in %LSU.
Analysis
In 2023, sheep — share in total livestock in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland stood at 20.9 %LSU.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.9% on the previous year and down 2.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, sheep — share in total livestock in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland peaked at 24.68 %LSU in 1999 and was at its lowest, 11.26 %LSU, in 1977.
That places United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 25th out of 180 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 63 years of available data.
Sheep — Share in total livestock in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, year by year
| Year | %LSU | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 17.74 %LSU | — |
| 1962 | 17.95 %LSU | +1.2% |
| 1963 | 17.95 %LSU | +0.0% |
| 1964 | 17.99 %LSU | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 17.66 %LSU | -1.8% |
| 1966 | 17.59 %LSU | -0.4% |
| 1967 | 16.96 %LSU | -3.6% |
| 1968 | 16.59 %LSU | -2.2% |
| 1969 | 15.63 %LSU | -5.8% |
| 1970 | 14.99 %LSU | -4.1% |
| 1971 | 14.67 %LSU | -2.1% |
| 1972 | 14.62 %LSU | -0.3% |
| 1973 | 14.35 %LSU | -1.8% |
| 1974 | 14.2 %LSU | -1.0% |
| 1975 | 14.62 %LSU | +3.0% |
| 1976 | 14.94 %LSU | +2.2% |
| 1977 | 11.26 %LSU | -24.6% |
| 1978 | 11.75 %LSU | +4.4% |
| 1979 | 12.29 %LSU | +4.6% |
| 1980 | 12.42 %LSU | +1.1% |
| 1981 | 12.67 %LSU | +2.0% |
| 1982 | 12.76 %LSU | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 13.09 %LSU | +2.6% |
| 1984 | 13.43 %LSU | +2.6% |
| 1985 | 13.93 %LSU | +3.7% |
| 1986 | 20.36 %LSU | +46.2% |
| 1987 | 21.31 %LSU | +4.7% |
| 1988 | 22.56 %LSU | +5.9% |
| 1989 | 23.54 %LSU | +4.3% |
| 1990 | 23.71 %LSU | +0.7% |
| 1991 | 23.78 %LSU | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 24.21 %LSU | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 24.12 %LSU | -0.4% |
| 1994 | 23.78 %LSU | -1.4% |
| 1995 | 23.76 %LSU | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 23.04 %LSU | -3.0% |
| 1997 | 23.28 %LSU | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 24.23 %LSU | +4.1% |
| 1999 | 24.68 %LSU | +1.9% |
| 2000 | 23.99 %LSU | -2.8% |
| 2001 | 22.22 %LSU | -7.4% |
| 2002 | 22.32 %LSU | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 22.14 %LSU | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 22.04 %LSU | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 21.64 %LSU | -1.8% |
| 2006 | 21.61 %LSU | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 21.61 %LSU | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 21.47 %LSU | -0.6% |
| 2009 | 20.67 %LSU | -3.7% |
| 2010 | 20.48 %LSU | -0.9% |
| 2011 | 20.99 %LSU | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 21.32 %LSU | +1.6% |
| 2013 | 21.52 %LSU | +0.9% |
| 2014 | 21.88 %LSU | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 21.6 %LSU | -1.3% |
| 2016 | 21.64 %LSU | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 21.92 %LSU | +1.3% |
| 2018 | 21.39 %LSU | -2.4% |
| 2019 | 21.47 %LSU | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 21.22 %LSU | -1.2% |
| 2021 | 21.14 %LSU | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 21.3 %LSU | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 20.9 %LSU | -1.9% |
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Sheep — Share in total livestock in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | +46.2% | 13.93 %LSU | 20.36 %LSU |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 17.34 %LSU | 15.63 %LSU | 17.99 %LSU | 9 |
| 1970s | 13.77 %LSU | 11.26 %LSU | 14.99 %LSU | 10 |
| 1980s | 16.61 %LSU | 12.42 %LSU | 23.54 %LSU | 10 |
| 1990s | 23.86 %LSU | 23.04 %LSU | 24.68 %LSU | 10 |
| 2000s | 21.97 %LSU | 20.67 %LSU | 23.99 %LSU | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.42 %LSU | 20.48 %LSU | 21.92 %LSU | 10 |
| 2020s | 21.14 %LSU | 20.9 %LSU | 21.3 %LSU | 4 |
Countries ranked near United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- 22 Cabo Verde 3.31 %LSU compare
- 22 Yemen 21.76 %LSU compare
- 23 Montenegro 21.49 %LSU compare
- 24 New Zealand 21.44 %LSU compare
- 26 Australia and New Zealand 20.2 %LSU compare
- 27 Bosnia and Herzegovina 20.09 %LSU compare
- 28 Australia 19.81 %LSU compare
More environment data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Standard Deviation, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Standard Deviation 0.444 °C (2025)
- Temperature change 1.84 °C (2025)
- Cropland — Area, annual growth rate 1.34 % change on previous year (2024)
- Arable land — Area, annual growth rate 1.34 % change on previous year (2024)
- Permanent crops — Area, annual growth rate 1.33 % change on previous year (2024)
- Permanent meadows and pastures — Area, annual growth rate -3.17 % change on previous year (2024)
- Inland waters — Area, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2024)
- Land area equipped for irrigation — Area, annual growth rate -7.99 % change on previous year (2024)
- Value Added (Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing) — Value Standard 1.85 % change on previous year (2024)
All data for United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland →
Frequently asked questions
- What is sheep — share in total livestock in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Sheep — share in total livestock in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was 20.9 %LSU in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
- What is the highest sheep — share in total livestock recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 24.68 %LSU in 1999.
- What is the lowest sheep — share in total livestock recorded in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.26 %LSU in 1977.
- How does United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland rank for sheep — share in total livestock?
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ranks 25th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
- Is sheep — share in total livestock rising or falling in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Sheep — 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.