Sheep — Stocks in New Zealand

New Zealand: Sheep — Stocks was 24.36 million An in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
24.36 million An
Change on year
down 3.1%
World rank
17th
of 180 countries
All-time high
70.30 million An
in 1982
All-time low
24.36 million An
in 2023
Years of data
63
1961–2023

Sheep — Stocks in New Zealand, 1961–2023

20.0M30.0M40.0M50.0M60.0M70.0M196119922023

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

Analysis

The most recent figure for sheep — stocks in New Zealand is 24.36 million An, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.

The figure is down 3.1% on the previous year and down 20.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, sheep — stocks in New Zealand peaked at 70.30 million An in 1982 and was at its lowest, 24.36 million An, in 2023.

That places New Zealand 17th 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 New Zealand, year by year

Annual values for Sheep — Stocks in New Zealand, 1961 to 2023.
Year An Change
1961 48.46 million An —
1962 48.99 million An +1.1%
1963 50.19 million An +2.5%
1964 51.29 million An +2.2%
1965 53.75 million An +4.8%
1966 57.34 million An +6.7%
1967 60.03 million An +4.7%
1968 60.47 million An +0.7%
1969 59.94 million An -0.9%
1970 60.28 million An +0.6%
1971 58.91 million An -2.3%
1972 60.88 million An +3.3%
1973 56.68 million An -6.9%
1974 55.88 million An -1.4%
1975 55.32 million An -1.0%
1976 56.40 million An +2.0%
1977 59.10 million An +4.8%
1978 62.16 million An +5.2%
1979 63.52 million An +2.2%
1980 68.77 million An +8.3%
1981 69.88 million An +1.6%
1982 70.30 million An +0.6%
1983 70.26 million An -0.1%
1984 69.74 million An -0.7%
1985 67.85 million An -2.7%
1986 67.47 million An -0.6%
1987 64.24 million An -4.8%
1988 64.60 million An +0.6%
1989 60.57 million An -6.2%
1990 57.85 million An -4.5%
1991 55.16 million An -4.7%
1992 52.57 million An -4.7%
1993 50.30 million An -4.3%
1994 49.47 million An -1.7%
1995 48.82 million An -1.3%
1996 47.39 million An -2.9%
1997 46.08 million An -2.8%
1998 44.40 million An -3.6%
1999 45.68 million An +2.9%
2000 42.26 million An -7.5%
2001 40.01 million An -5.3%
2002 39.57 million An -1.1%
2003 39.55 million An -0.1%
2004 39.27 million An -0.7%
2005 39.88 million An +1.5%
2006 40.08 million An +0.5%
2007 38.46 million An -4.0%
2008 34.09 million An -11.4%
2009 32.38 million An -5.0%
2010 32.56 million An +0.6%
2011 31.13 million An -4.4%
2012 31.26 million An +0.4%
2013 30.79 million An -1.5%
2014 29.80 million An -3.2%
2015 29.12 million An -2.3%
2016 27.58 million An -5.3%
2017 27.53 million An -0.2%
2018 27.30 million An -0.8%
2019 26.82 million An -1.7%
2020 26.03 million An -3.0%
2021 25.73 million An -1.1%
2022 25.13 million An -2.3%
2023 24.36 million An -3.1%

New Zealand compared with similar countries

  • New Zealand's 24.36 million An is above the median for high income countries, which is 343,400 An, 70.9× the median. (53 countries reporting)
  • New Zealand's 24.36 million An is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 89,736 An, 271.5× the median. (14 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 54.50 million An 48.46 million An 60.47 million An 9
1970s 58.91 million An 55.32 million An 63.52 million An 10
1980s 67.37 million An 60.57 million An 70.30 million An 10
1990s 49.77 million An 44.40 million An 57.85 million An 10
2000s 38.56 million An 32.38 million An 42.26 million An 10
2010s 29.39 million An 26.82 million An 32.56 million An 10
2020s 25.31 million An 24.36 million An 26.03 million An 4

Countries ranked near New Zealand

  1. 14 Algeria 31.82 million An compare
  2. 14 Melanesia 48,877 An compare
  3. 15 Timor-Leste 20,304 An compare
  4. 15 United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 31.80 million An compare
  5. 16 Mongolia 29.41 million An compare
  6. 16 Polynesia 444 An compare
  7. 18 Mali 23.32 million An compare
  8. 19 Kenya 23.21 million An compare
  9. 20 Ethiopia PDR 23.20 million An compare

See the full ranking of 229 places →

More environment data for New Zealand

All data for New Zealand →

Frequently asked questions

What is sheep — stocks in New Zealand?
Sheep — stocks in New Zealand was 24.36 million An in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest sheep — stocks recorded in New Zealand?
The highest recorded value was 70.30 million An in 1982.
What is the lowest sheep — stocks recorded in New Zealand?
The lowest recorded value was 24.36 million An in 2023.
How does New Zealand rank for sheep — stocks?
New Zealand ranks 17th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
Is sheep — stocks rising or falling in New Zealand?
Over the last ten years it is down 20.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this New Zealand 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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CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO).

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

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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).