What is sheep — stocks in South Africa?

Sheep — stocks in South Africa was 21.43 million An in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

What is the highest sheep — stocks recorded in South Africa?

The highest recorded value was 40.31 million An in 1966.

What is the lowest sheep — stocks recorded in South Africa?

The lowest recorded value was 21.43 million An in 2023.

How does South Africa rank for sheep — stocks?

South Africa ranks 29th out of 37 groups with data for 2023.

Is sheep — stocks rising or falling in South Africa?

Over the last ten years it is down 12.6%. 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 — Stocks. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Sheep — Stocks in South Africa

Name: Sheep — Stocks in South Africa
Creator: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
License: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)

South Africa: Sheep — Stocks was 21.43 million An in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)

21.43 million An

Change on year

down 0.0%

Rank

29th

of 37 groups

All-time high

40.31 million An

in 1966

All-time low

21.43 million An

in 2023

Years of data

1961–2023

Sheep — Stocks in South Africa, 1961–2023

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

Analysis

South Africa recorded 21.43 million An for sheep — stocks in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.

The figure is down 12.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, sheep — stocks in South Africa peaked at 40.31 million An in 1966 and was at its lowest, 21.43 million An, in 2023.

South Africa ranks 29th of 37 groups on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

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

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	38.40 million An	36.67 million An	40.31 million An	9
1970s	31.62 million An	30.24 million An	34.29 million An	10
1980s	31.20 million An	29.48 million An	34.20 million An	10
1990s	29.92 million An	28.68 million An	32.66 million An	10
2000s	26.00 million An	24.98 million An	28.80 million An	10
2010s	23.63 million An	22.09 million An	24.53 million An	10
2020s	21.48 million An	21.43 million An	21.60 million An	4

Countries ranked near South Africa

26 Russian Federation 19.08 million An compare
27 Saudi Arabia 18.95 million An compare
28 Syrian Arab Republic 18.57 million An compare
29 Kazakhstan 16.96 million An compare
30 Indonesia 15.52 million An compare
31 South Sudan 14.51 million An compare
32 Niger 14.14 million An compare

See the full ranking of 229 places →

More environment data for South Africa

Standard Deviation 0.275 °C (2025)
Temperature change 1.05 °C (2025)
Recovered paper — Production 1.18 million t (2024)
Total fibre furnish — Production 2.03 million t (2024)
Other paper and paperboard, not elsewhere specified — Import value 30,837 1000 USD (2024)
Other paper and paperboard, not elsewhere specified — Import quantity 7,586 t (2024)
Other paper and paperboard — Export value 272,220 1000 USD (2024)
Other paper and paperboard — Export quantity 385,631 t (2024)
Other paper and paperboard — Import value 516,696 1000 USD (2024)
Other paper and paperboard — Import quantity 472,308 t (2024)

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is sheep — stocks in South Africa?: Sheep — stocks in South Africa was 21.43 million An in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest sheep — stocks recorded in South Africa?: The highest recorded value was 40.31 million An in 1966.
What is the lowest sheep — stocks recorded in South Africa?: The lowest recorded value was 21.43 million An in 2023.
How does South Africa rank for sheep — stocks?: South Africa ranks 29th out of 37 groups with data for 2023.
Is sheep — stocks rising or falling in South Africa?: Over the last ten years it is down 12.6%. 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 — 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

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: 13 August 2026

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).