Sheep — Stocks in Australia

Australia: Sheep — Stocks was 72.10 million An in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
72.10 million An
Change on year
up 2.7%
World rank
7th
of 180 countries
All-time high
180.08 million An
in 1970
All-time low
63.53 million An
in 2020
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Sheep — Stocks in Australia, 1961–2023

050.0M100.0M150.0M200.0M196119922023

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for sheep — stocks in Australia is 72.10 million An, measured in 2023.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.7% on the previous year and down 4.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, sheep — stocks in Australia peaked at 180.08 million An in 1970 and was at its lowest, 63.53 million An, in 2020.

That places Australia 7th out of 180 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Sheep — Stocks in Australia, year by year

Annual values for Sheep — Stocks in Australia, 1961 to 2023.
Year An Change
1961 152.68 million An —
1962 157.71 million An +3.3%
1963 158.63 million An +0.6%
1964 164.98 million An +4.0%
1965 170.62 million An +3.4%
1966 157.56 million An -7.7%
1967 164.24 million An +4.2%
1968 166.91 million An +1.6%
1969 174.60 million An +4.6%
1970 180.08 million An +3.1%
1971 177.79 million An -1.3%
1972 162.91 million An -8.4%
1973 140.03 million An -14.0%
1974 145.18 million An +3.7%
1975 151.65 million An +4.5%
1976 148.64 million An -2.0%
1977 135.36 million An -8.9%
1978 131.44 million An -2.9%
1979 134.22 million An +2.1%
1980 135.99 million An +1.3%
1981 134.41 million An -1.2%
1982 137.98 million An +2.7%
1983 133.24 million An -3.4%
1984 139.24 million An +4.5%
1985 149.75 million An +7.5%
1986 146.78 million An -2.0%
1987 149.16 million An +1.6%
1988 152.44 million An +2.2%
1989 161.60 million An +6.0%
1990 170.30 million An +5.4%
1991 163.24 million An -4.1%
1992 148.20 million An -9.2%
1993 138.10 million An -6.8%
1994 132.57 million An -4.0%
1995 120.86 million An -8.8%
1996 121.12 million An +0.2%
1997 120.23 million An -0.7%
1998 117.49 million An -2.3%
1999 115.46 million An -1.7%
2000 118.55 million An +2.7%
2001 110.90 million An -6.5%
2002 106.17 million An -4.3%
2003 99.25 million An -6.5%
2004 101.29 million An +2.0%
2005 101.12 million An -0.2%
2006 91.03 million An -10.0%
2007 85.71 million An -5.8%
2008 76.94 million An -10.2%
2009 72.74 million An -5.5%
2010 68.09 million An -6.4%
2011 73.10 million An +7.4%
2012 74.72 million An +2.2%
2013 75.55 million An +1.1%
2014 72.61 million An -3.9%
2015 70.91 million An -2.3%
2016 67.54 million An -4.7%
2017 72.13 million An +6.8%
2018 70.07 million An -2.9%
2019 65.76 million An -6.2%
2020 63.53 million An -3.4%
2021 68.05 million An +7.1%
2022 70.23 million An +3.2%
2023 72.10 million An +2.7%

Australia compared with similar countries

  • Australia's 72.10 million An is above the median for high income countries, which is 343,400 An, 210.0× the median. (53 countries reporting)
  • Australia's 72.10 million An is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 89,736 An, 803.5× the median. (14 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 163.10 million An 152.68 million An 174.60 million An 9
1970s 150.73 million An 131.44 million An 180.08 million An 10
1980s 144.06 million An 133.24 million An 161.60 million An 10
1990s 134.76 million An 115.46 million An 170.30 million An 10
2000s 96.37 million An 72.74 million An 118.55 million An 10
2010s 71.05 million An 65.76 million An 75.55 million An 10
2020s 68.48 million An 63.53 million An 72.10 million An 4

Countries ranked near Australia

  1. 4 Iran (Islamic Republic of) 52.01 million An compare
  2. 4 USSR 132.95 million An compare
  3. 5 Türkiye 42.06 million An compare
  4. 5 Australia and New Zealand 96.46 million An compare
  5. 6 India 77.42 million An compare
  6. 6 Syrian Arab Republic 18.57 million An compare
  7. 7 United Republic of Tanzania 9.37 million An compare
  8. 8 Bolivia (Plurinational State of) 7.48 million An compare
  9. 8 Sudan (former) 52.64 million An compare
  10. 9 Nigeria 51.42 million An compare
  11. 10 Chad 48.65 million An compare
  12. 10 Democratic Republic of the Congo 918,961 An compare

See the full ranking of 229 places →

More environment data for Australia

All data for Australia →

Frequently asked questions

What is sheep — stocks in Australia?
Sheep — stocks in Australia was 72.10 million An in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest sheep — stocks recorded in Australia?
The highest recorded value was 180.08 million An in 1970.
What is the lowest sheep — stocks recorded in Australia?
The lowest recorded value was 63.53 million An in 2020.
How does Australia rank for sheep — stocks?
Australia ranks 7th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
Is sheep — stocks rising or falling in Australia?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Australia data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Sheep — Stocks. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Sheep — Stocks in Australia. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 27 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/sheep-stocks-2/australia/

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About this data

Indicator
Sheep — Stocks
Unit
An
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
229 places, 13,062 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).