Livestock (live animals) · FAOSTAT 2024
Cattle: number of animals by country
The world had 1.58 billion cattle in 2024, up 9.7% over ten years. The largest herds were in Brazil (15.1%), India (12.3%), United States (5.5%), together 33% of the world total.
- World total, 2024
- 1.58 billion head
- 10-year change
- +9.7%
- Countries reporting
- 190
- Largest herd
- Brazil
World total, 1961–2024 (head)
Where the animals are, 2024
Share of the world total. Small island states are not drawn at this scale.
Countries by number of animals, 2024
| # | Country | Head | Share | 10-year change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil | 238,180,757 | 15.1% | +12% |
| 2 | India I | 194,753,479 | 12.3% | +4.1% |
| 3 | United States | 87,157,400 | 5.52% | −1.5% |
| 4 | Ethiopia I | 71,916,930 | 4.56% | +27% |
| 5 | China E | 70,325,500 | 4.45% | +12% |
| 6 | Pakistan | 57,541,000 | 3.65% | +45% |
| 7 | Argentina | 52,783,892 | 3.34% | +2.2% |
| 8 | Chad I | 39,625,902 | 2.51% | +68% |
| 9 | Tanzania I | 39,053,013 | 2.47% | +51% |
| 10 | Mexico I | 36,933,201 | 2.34% | +12% |
| 11 | Sudan I | 31,256,148 | 1.98% | +3.5% |
| 12 | Australia | 30,372,537 | 1.92% | +4.4% |
| 13 | Colombia | 30,344,182 | 1.92% | +34% |
| 14 | Bangladesh | 25,013,000 | 1.58% | +6.5% |
| 15 | Kenya | 22,435,638 | 1.42% | +23% |
| 16 | Nigeria I | 20,943,448 | 1.33% | +6.0% |
| 17 | Niger | 20,375,030 | 1.29% | +79% |
| 18 | Indonesia I | 18,065,156 | 1.14% | +23% |
| 19 | Russia I | 17,373,368 | 1.10% | −11% |
| 20 | Turkey | 16,824,208 | 1.07% | +18% |
| 21 | France | 16,478,260 | 1.04% | −14% |
| 22 | Venezuela I | 15,749,209 | 1.00% | −6.3% |
| 23 | Uganda I | 14,723,179 | 0.93% | +8.1% |
| 24 | Uzbekistan | 14,394,476 | 0.91% | +36% |
| 25 | South Sudan I | 14,282,839 | 0.90% | +21% |
| 26 | Mali | 14,040,120 | 0.89% | +40% |
| 27 | Paraguay E | 13,630,216 | 0.86% | −5.8% |
| 28 | South Africa | 12,122,027 | 0.77% | −13% |
| 29 | Uruguay I | 11,960,556 | 0.76% | +1.1% |
| 30 | Bolivia | 11,245,622 | 0.71% | +28% |
| 31 | Canada | 10,985,000 | 0.70% | −8.8% |
| 32 | Myanmar E | 10,800,000 | 0.68% | −30% |
| 33 | Germany | 10,461,290 | 0.66% | −18% |
| 34 | Burkina Faso I | 10,280,515 | 0.65% | +13% |
| 35 | New Zealand | 9,516,288 | 0.60% | −8.2% |
| 36 | United Kingdom | 9,411,871 | 0.60% | −4.3% |
| 37 | Guinea E | 9,319,774 | 0.59% | +53% |
| 38 | Kazakhstan | 7,976,665 | 0.51% | +36% |
| 39 | Madagascar E | 6,957,211 | 0.44% | −32% |
| 40 | Ireland | 6,308,300 | 0.40% | −8.9% |
| 41 | Vietnam | 6,212,203 | 0.39% | +19% |
| 42 | Poland | 6,190,930 | 0.39% | +4.6% |
| 43 | Spain | 6,173,960 | 0.39% | +1.6% |
| 44 | Cameroon I | 5,941,769 | 0.38% | −0.1% |
| 45 | Peru | 5,842,166 | 0.37% | +4.7% |
| 46 | Italy | 5,765,000 | 0.37% | +0.2% |
| 47 | Zimbabwe | 5,741,397 | 0.36% | +18% |
| 48 | Iran E | 5,600,812 | 0.35% | +32% |
| 49 | Afghanistan E | 5,555,383 | 0.35% | +3.9% |
| 50 | Angola I | 5,200,294 | 0.33% | +6.2% |
| 51 | Nepal | 5,198,388 | 0.33% | −28% |
| 52 | Mongolia | 5,074,552 | 0.32% | +49% |
| 53 | Zambia I | 4,887,687 | 0.31% | +20% |
| 54 | Central African Republic E | 4,864,952 | 0.31% | +12% |
| 55 | Somalia E | 4,788,212 | 0.30% | −2.3% |
| 56 | Guatemala I | 4,343,871 | 0.28% | +21% |
| 57 | Thailand E | 4,293,189 | 0.27% | −12% |
| 58 | Belarus | 4,097,900 | 0.26% | −6.1% |
| 59 | Japan | 3,985,000 | 0.25% | +0.6% |
| 60 | South Korea | 3,889,278 | 0.25% | +22% |
| 61 | Senegal E | 3,714,834 | 0.24% | +6.7% |
| 62 | Netherlands | 3,562,000 | 0.23% | −15% |
| 63 | Ecuador | 3,436,276 | 0.22% | −25% |
| 64 | Cuba E | 3,250,000 | 0.21% | −21% |
| 65 | Dominican Republic I | 3,030,340 | 0.19% | +1.0% |
| 66 | Chile I | 2,962,490 | 0.19% | +2.3% |
| 67 | Namibia E | 2,907,986 | 0.18% | +0.9% |
| 68 | Honduras I | 2,900,458 | 0.18% | +4.4% |
| 69 | Cambodia I | 2,821,807 | 0.18% | −1.9% |
| 70 | Tajikistan | 2,789,212 | 0.18% | +31% |
| 71 | Benin | 2,762,716 | 0.18% | +24% |
| 72 | Laos | 2,691,000 | 0.17% | +52% |
| 73 | Egypt I | 2,625,729 | 0.17% | −45% |
| 74 | Philippines | 2,605,517 | 0.17% | +3.7% |
| 75 | Turkmenistan | 2,545,439 | 0.16% | +11% |
| 76 | Mozambique | 2,467,082 | 0.16% | +37% |
| 77 | Morocco | 2,365,210 | 0.15% | −27% |
| 78 | Ghana I | 2,362,472 | 0.15% | +43% |
| 79 | Azerbaijan I | 2,329,506 | 0.15% | −4.7% |
| 80 | Malawi I | 2,307,952 | 0.15% | +75% |
| 81 | Eritrea I | 2,156,877 | 0.14% | +3.2% |
| 82 | Ukraine | 2,156,200 | 0.14% | −51% |
| 83 | Belgium | 2,153,430 | 0.14% | −13% |
| 84 | Iraq E | 2,104,351 | 0.13% | −27% |
| 85 | DR Congo | 2,032,019 | 0.13% | +114% |
| 86 | Mauritania E | 1,992,320 | 0.13% | +7.7% |
| 87 | Yemen I | 1,971,664 | 0.12% | +11% |
| 88 | Côte d'Ivoire | 1,896,358 | 0.12% | +19% |
| 89 | Kyrgyzstan | 1,828,768 | 0.12% | +25% |
| 90 | Austria | 1,820,030 | 0.12% | −7.1% |
| 91 | Romania | 1,809,400 | 0.11% | −11% |
| 92 | Algeria I | 1,782,454 | 0.11% | −13% |
| 93 | Costa Rica | 1,576,149 | 0.10% | +21% |
| 94 | Rwanda I | 1,545,688 | 0.10% | +33% |
| 95 | Switzerland | 1,533,483 | 0.10% | −1.9% |
| 96 | Haiti I | 1,524,965 | 0.10% | +3.7% |
| 97 | Portugal | 1,486,910 | 0.09% | −4.0% |
| 98 | Denmark | 1,413,860 | 0.09% | −9.6% |
| 99 | Panama | 1,401,169 | 0.09% | −14% |
| 100 | Czechia | 1,397,410 | 0.09% | +1.7% |
| 101 | Sweden | 1,333,820 | 0.08% | −11% |
| 102 | Burundi I | 1,228,356 | 0.08% | +49% |
| 103 | Sri Lanka | 1,125,450 | 0.07% | +1.9% |
| 104 | Botswana I | 918,057 | 0.06% | −42% |
| 105 | Hungary | 869,900 | 0.06% | +11% |
| 106 | Norway | 852,800 | 0.05% | +1.5% |
| 107 | Georgia | 837,700 | 0.05% | −32% |
| 108 | Syria | 826,396 | 0.05% | −24% |
| 109 | El Salvador E | 772,208 | 0.05% | −26% |
| 110 | Finland | 764,030 | 0.05% | −16% |
| 111 | Guinea-Bissau E | 742,836 | 0.05% | +10% |
| 112 | Malaysia | 730,318 | 0.05% | −1.7% |
| 113 | Serbia | 698,605 | 0.04% | −24% |
| 114 | Sierra Leone E | 682,125 | 0.04% | −2.6% |
| 115 | Eswatini | 652,513 | 0.04% | +5.2% |
| 116 | Lithuania | 599,770 | 0.04% | −16% |
| 117 | Greece | 595,200 | 0.04% | −0.8% |
| 118 | North Korea I | 570,727 | 0.04% | −0.7% |
| 119 | Bulgaria | 558,770 | 0.04% | −2.9% |
| 120 | Saudi Arabia I | 534,181 | 0.03% | +51% |
| 121 | Lesotho E | 517,450 | 0.03% | −4.2% |
| 122 | Tunisia E | 495,935 | 0.03% | −26% |
| 123 | Armenia | 491,594 | 0.03% | −27% |
| 124 | Israel | 477,958 | 0.03% | +3.7% |
| 125 | Togo I | 477,388 | 0.03% | +9.1% |
| 126 | Slovenia | 453,890 | 0.03% | −1.5% |
| 127 | Oman | 446,988 | 0.03% | +22% |
| 128 | Croatia | 422,000 | 0.03% | −4.3% |
| 129 | Slovakia | 416,680 | 0.03% | −11% |
| 130 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 383,331 | 0.02% | −14% |
| 131 | Latvia | 352,090 | 0.02% | −13% |
| 132 | Congo I | 335,224 | 0.02% | −1.4% |
| 133 | Djibouti I | 317,893 | 0.02% | +6.0% |
| 134 | Gambia | 309,195 | 0.02% | −35% |
| 135 | Albania | 272,035 | 0.02% | −46% |
| 136 | Bhutan | 257,103 | 0.02% | −26% |
| 137 | Timor-Leste E | 238,902 | 0.02% | +36% |
| 138 | Estonia | 232,390 | 0.01% | −11% |
| 139 | Puerto Rico E | 218,598 | 0.01% | −14% |
| 140 | Libya E | 208,931 | 0.01% | +4.5% |
| 141 | Luxembourg | 180,530 | 0.01% | −9.2% |
| 142 | Taiwan I | 155,741 | 0.01% | +7.5% |
| 143 | Jamaica I | 153,169 | 0.01% | −8.8% |
| 144 | North Macedonia | 143,953 | 0.01% | −40% |
| 145 | United Arab Emirates I | 119,098 | 0.01% | +33% |
| 146 | Belize I | 99,019 | 0.01% | +4.4% |
| 147 | Guyana I | 98,851 | 0.01% | −13% |
| 148 | Moldova | 98,817 | 0.01% | −48% |
| 149 | Papua New Guinea I | 90,889 | 0.01% | −2.3% |
| 150 | Vanuatu E | 89,000 | 0.01% | −49% |
| 151 | Jordan | 88,819 | 0.01% | +28% |
| 152 | Cyprus | 82,680 | 0.01% | +36% |
| 153 | Fiji | 80,720 | 0.01% | +12% |
| 154 | New Caledonia I | 77,281 | 0.00% | −17% |
| 155 | Iceland | 76,902 | 0.00% | +3.3% |
| 156 | Lebanon I | 75,538 | 0.00% | −20% |
| 157 | Montenegro | 67,496 | 0.00% | −12% |
| 158 | Comoros I | 51,420 | 0.00% | +2.8% |
| 159 | Qatar E | 45,424 | 0.00% | +104% |
| 160 | Liberia I | 43,270 | 0.00% | +0.6% |
| 161 | Gabon I | 39,678 | 0.00% | +3.1% |
| 162 | Samoa E | 38,349 | 0.00% | −22% |
| 163 | Trinidad and Tobago I | 35,419 | 0.00% | +1.2% |
| 164 | Kuwait E | 32,136 | 0.00% | +18% |
| 165 | Cabo Verde | 29,779 | 0.00% | +31% |
| 166 | Suriname I | 28,821 | 0.00% | −20% |
| 167 | Micronesia E | 18,180 | 0.00% | +10% |
| 168 | Solomon Islands I | 15,381 | 0.00% | +2.5% |
| 169 | Dominica I | 13,873 | 0.00% | −0.9% |
| 170 | Malta | 13,800 | 0.00% | −7.3% |
| 171 | Tonga I | 12,196 | 0.00% | +3.4% |
| 172 | Barbados E | 11,241 | 0.00% | +1.3% |
| 173 | Saint Lucia I | 10,486 | 0.00% | −4.7% |
| 174 | French Polynesia I | 8,097 | 0.00% | +11% |
| 175 | Bahrain | 7,000 | 0.00% | −33% |
| 176 | Grenada I | 6,191 | 0.00% | +4.8% |
| 177 | Equatorial Guinea I | 5,520 | 0.00% | +4.2% |
| 178 | Antigua and Barbuda E | 4,500 | 0.00% | −10.0% |
| 179 | Mauritius E | 3,500 | 0.00% | −42% |
| 180 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines E | 2,600 | 0.00% | −32% |
| 181 | Faroe Islands | 1,816 | 0.00% | −5.3% |
| 182 | Saint Kitts and Nevis I | 1,709 | 0.00% | −15% |
| 183 | Sao Tome and Principe E | 1,588 | 0.00% | +32% |
| 184 | Hong Kong I | 1,570 | 0.00% | −7.6% |
| 185 | Bahamas I | 743 | 0.00% | −0.9% |
| 186 | Seychelles I | 557 | 0.00% | +86% |
| 187 | Brunei | 286 | 0.00% | −62% |
| 188 | Cook Islands I | 233 | 0.00% | +5.9% |
| 189 | Singapore E | 177 | 0.00% | −12% |
| 190 | Niue I | 113 | 0.00% | 0.0% |
E = estimated by FAO, I = imputed by FAO, X = from an external organisation; other figures are official.
How concentrated is the world herd?
The largest herd, in Brazil, accounts for 15.1% of the world total in 2024; the five largest for 42.0% and the ten largest for 56.3%.
| Year | Top 5 share | Top 10 share | Countries with data |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 46.5% | 57.3% | 192 |
| 2005 | 46.6% | 57.4% | 192 |
| 2010 | 43.9% | 55.9% | 190 |
| 2015 | 42.3% | 54.9% | 192 |
| 2020 | 42.2% | 55.6% | 192 |
| 2024 | 42.0% | 56.3% | 190 |
By continent, 2024
| Continent | Head | Share of world | Share in 2014 | 10-year change | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asia | 484 million head | 30.7% | 30.5% | +10% | 48 |
| Africa | 399 million head | 25.3% | 22.8% | +22% | 54 |
| South America | 386 million head | 24.5% | 24.4% | +9.8% | 12 |
| North and Central America | 154 million head | 9.8% | 11.0% | −2.2% | 23 |
| Europe | 109 million head | 6.9% | 8.5% | −11% | 40 |
| Oceania | 40.3 million head | 2.6% | 2.8% | +0.8% | 13 |
Sums of country figures; the world total also includes countries without a continent assignment, so shares may not add up to 100%.
Fastest growing and declining producers, 2014–2024
Countries with at least 0.5% of world numbers in 2024, change over ten years.
Long-term trend, 1961–2024
- Average growth per year, 1961–2024
- +0.8%
- Average growth per year, last 10 years
- +0.9%
- Record year
- 2024 1.58 billion head
- Largest yearly fall
- 1997 −1.6%
| Decade | Average per year | vs previous decade |
|---|---|---|
| 1960s (1961–1969) | 1.01 billion head | — |
| 1970s | 1.16 billion head | +15% |
| 1980s | 1.26 billion head | +8.2% |
| 1990s | 1.31 billion head | +4.7% |
| 2000s | 1.37 billion head | +4.0% |
| 2010s | 1.45 billion head | +6.2% |
| 2020s (2020–2024) | 1.56 billion head | +7.1% |
Beef prices on wholesale markets
- Markets quoting
- 126
- Median price
- 6.29 EUR/kg
- Middle half of quotes
- 5.21–7.65 EUR/kg
- Latest quote
- 10 November 2026
Prices in producing countries
| Rank | Producer | Production, 2024 | Markets | Median price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brazil | 238 million head | 1 | 4.51 EUR/kg |
| 3 | United States | 87.2 million head | 1 | 6.12 EUR/kg |
| 5 | China | 70.3 million head | 1 | 4.68 EUR/kg |
| 7 | Argentina | 52.8 million head | 1 | 2.17 EUR/kg |
| 10 | Mexico | 36.9 million head | 23 | 4.52 EUR/kg |
| 13 | Colombia | 30.3 million head | 30 | 9.11 EUR/kg |
| 20 | Turkey | 16.8 million head | 1 | 10.6 EUR/kg |
| 21 | France | 16.5 million head | 2 | 6.80 EUR/kg |
| 31 | Canada | 11.0 million head | 10 | 4.34 EUR/kg |
| 33 | Germany | 10.5 million head | 2 | 6.22 EUR/kg |
| 42 | Poland | 6.2 million head | 3 | 6.14 EUR/kg |
| 43 | Spain | 6.2 million head | 3 | 6.40 EUR/kg |
Median of the midpoints of 1353 current quotes converted to EUR per kg at the reference rates used on Husfarm. Markets quote different varieties, grades, origins and trade stages, so prices are not directly comparable between countries.
Questions and answers
Which country has the most cattle?
Brazil had the largest number, 238 million head in 2024, 15.1% of the world total, according to FAOSTAT.
How many cattle are there in the world?
FAOSTAT counts 1.58 billion head in 2024, +9.7% compared with 2014.
Which countries have the most cattle?
In 2024: Brazil (238 million head, 15.1%), India (195 million head, 12.3%), United States (87.2 million head, 5.5%), Ethiopia (71.9 million head, 4.6%), China (70.3 million head, 4.5%). Together they account for 42.0% of the world total.
What is the wholesale price of cattle today?
The median of 1353 current quotes on 126 markets tracked by Husfarm is 6.29 EUR/kg (latest quote 10 November 2026). Prices vary widely by variety, grade, origin and market.
Where does this data come from?
Production and area figures are from FAOSTAT, the statistics database of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (dataset Crops and livestock products, release of 23 December 2025). Shares, rankings, changes and averages are calculated by Husfarm.
Related products
About the data
- Figures are numbers of live animals as reported to or estimated by FAO for each calendar year; the latest year is 2024.
- Letters next to a country mark figures that are not official national data: E estimated by FAO, I imputed by FAO (filled in by a statistical model), X taken from an external organisation. Treat them as approximate.
- Shares are relative to the FAO world total; ten-year changes compare 2024 with 2014; average growth per year is the compound annual rate between the two years.
- Country series on Husfarm start in 2000; the world series starts in 1961.
Download CSV All countries and years: production and FAO flag.
How to cite: FAO (2025). FAOSTAT: Crops and livestock products — Cattle. Retrieved via Husfarm, https://husfarm.com/production/cattle/. Licence CC BY 4.0.
Source: FAO. 2025. FAOSTAT: Crops and livestock products. Accessed on 4 November 2026. fao.org/faostat. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Charts, rankings and changes calculated by Husfarm.