Sheep milk production by country
World production of sheep milk reached 9.8 million t in 2024, up 1.3% over ten years. The largest producers were China (12.8%), Greece (9.6%), Turkey (9.2%), together 32% of the world total.
- World production, 2024
- 9.8 million t
- 10-year change
- +1.3%
- Producing countries
- 77
- Largest producer
- China
World production, 1961–2024 (tonnes)
Map of sheep milk production, 2024
Share of the world total. Small island states are not drawn at this scale.
Producers ranked, 2024
| # | Country | Tonnes | Share | 10-year change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | China I | 1,256,430 | 12.8% | +2.7% |
| 2 | Greece | 945,820 | 9.64% | +12% |
| 3 | Turkey | 906,945 | 9.24% | −19% |
| 4 | Syria | 714,642 | 7.28% | +4.3% |
| 5 | Algeria E | 542,280 | 5.53% | +26% |
| 6 | Spain | 540,950 | 5.51% | −8.7% |
| 7 | Italy | 476,020 | 4.85% | +28% |
| 8 | Romania | 434,400 | 4.43% | −35% |
| 9 | Sudan I | 410,963 | 4.19% | +2.2% |
| 10 | Iran I | 392,112 | 4.00% | +45% |
| 11 | France | 337,060 | 3.43% | +30% |
| 12 | Somalia I | 309,107 | 3.15% | −25% |
| 13 | Mali | 215,522 | 2.20% | +138% |
| 14 | Afghanistan E | 194,000 | 1.98% | −4.2% |
| 15 | Niger | 182,552 | 1.86% | +47% |
| 16 | Indonesia I | 147,567 | 1.50% | −4.9% |
| 17 | South Sudan I | 134,878 | 1.37% | −10% |
| 18 | Jordan | 109,247 | 1.11% | +33% |
| 19 | Kenya I | 99,076 | 1.01% | +58% |
| 20 | Saudi Arabia E | 83,588 | 0.85% | +17% |
| 21 | Mauritania I | 79,663 | 0.81% | +15% |
| 22 | Burkina Faso I | 78,650 | 0.80% | +13% |
| 23 | Portugal | 76,440 | 0.78% | +7.3% |
| 24 | Bangladesh E | 75,220 | 0.77% | +147% |
| 25 | Yemen E | 67,084 | 0.68% | +1.1% |
| 26 | Albania | 64,210 | 0.65% | −30% |
| 27 | Libya I | 61,286 | 0.62% | −10% |
| 28 | Iraq I | 61,090 | 0.62% | +8.1% |
| 29 | Ethiopia I | 58,805 | 0.60% | +19% |
| 30 | Cyprus | 53,100 | 0.54% | +140% |
| 31 | Bulgaria | 49,810 | 0.51% | −34% |
| 32 | Chad I | 46,381 | 0.47% | +31% |
| 33 | Pakistan | 42,000 | 0.43% | +11% |
| 34 | United Arab Emirates E | 35,446 | 0.36% | +48% |
| 35 | Morocco I | 34,854 | 0.36% | +2.3% |
| 36 | Bolivia I | 31,085 | 0.32% | −8.6% |
| 37 | Azerbaijan E | 30,207 | 0.31% | +14% |
| 38 | North Macedonia | 25,698 | 0.26% | −30% |
| 39 | Moldova | 25,223 | 0.26% | +16% |
| 40 | Tunisia E | 23,519 | 0.24% | −9.5% |
| 41 | Oman I | 23,357 | 0.24% | +5.6% |
| 42 | Egypt E | 23,144 | 0.24% | −76% |
| 43 | Armenia E | 22,500 | 0.23% | −61% |
| 44 | Cameroon I | 18,847 | 0.19% | −6.2% |
| 45 | Guinea I | 17,160 | 0.17% | +33% |
| 46 | Nepal I | 15,580 | 0.16% | −12% |
| 47 | Israel | 15,128 | 0.15% | −34% |
| 48 | Senegal I | 12,780 | 0.13% | +28% |
| 49 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 12,370 | 0.13% | −27% |
| 50 | Lebanon E | 12,362 | 0.13% | −4.9% |
| 51 | Slovakia | 12,130 | 0.12% | +20% |
| 52 | Austria | 11,330 | 0.12% | +1.0% |
| 53 | Qatar I | 10,981 | 0.11% | +21% |
| 54 | Ukraine | 10,900 | 0.11% | −54% |
| 55 | Serbia | 10,378 | 0.11% | −48% |
| 56 | Malawi I | 7,581 | 0.08% | +29% |
| 57 | Guinea-Bissau I | 6,642 | 0.07% | −4.8% |
| 58 | Montenegro | 6,622 | 0.07% | −29% |
| 59 | Switzerland | 6,507 | 0.07% | +10% |
| 60 | Georgia E | 6,075 | 0.06% | −15% |
| 61 | Eritrea I | 5,886 | 0.06% | +13% |
| 62 | Russia E | 5,800 | 0.06% | −81% |
| 63 | Rwanda I | 5,213 | 0.05% | −38% |
| 64 | Croatia | 4,000 | 0.04% | −34% |
| 65 | Ecuador I | 3,796 | 0.04% | −37% |
| 66 | Myanmar I | 2,594 | 0.03% | −33% |
| 67 | Malta | 2,090 | 0.02% | +35% |
| 68 | Hungary | 1,550 | 0.02% | −8.3% |
| 69 | Mongolia | 1,475 | 0.02% | +30% |
| 70 | Burundi I | 1,367 | 0.01% | +52% |
| 71 | Slovenia | 710 | 0.01% | +41% |
| 72 | Poland | 490 | 0.00% | +36% |
| 73 | Kuwait I | 297 | 0.00% | +0.3% |
| 74 | Belgium | 260 | 0.00% | — |
| 75 | Bahrain I | 159 | 0.00% | +16% |
| 76 | Luxembourg | 110 | 0.00% | — |
| 77 | Czechia | 100 | 0.00% | — |
E = estimated by FAO, I = imputed by FAO, X = from an external organisation; other figures are official.
How concentrated is production?
The largest producer, China, accounts for 12.8% of the world total in 2024; the five largest for 44.5% and the ten largest for 67.5%.
| Year | Top 5 share | Top 10 share | Countries with data |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 45.5% | 68.5% | 71 |
| 2005 | 45.7% | 68.4% | 71 |
| 2010 | 47.5% | 69.6% | 73 |
| 2015 | 45.5% | 68.3% | 75 |
| 2020 | 45.1% | 67.6% | 77 |
| 2024 | 44.5% | 67.5% | 77 |
By continent, 2024
| Continent | Production | Share of world | Share in 2014 | 10-year change | Countries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asia | 4.3 million t | 43.6% | 43.6% | +1.3% | 26 |
| Europe | 3.1 million t | 31.2% | 32.8% | −3.8% | 26 |
| Africa | 2.4 million t | 24.2% | 22.6% | +8.6% | 23 |
| South America | 34,881 t | 0.4% | 0.4% | −13% | 2 |
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 production in 2024, change over ten years.
Long-term trend, 1961–2024
- Average growth per year, 1961–2024
- +1.0%
- Average growth per year, last 10 years
- +0.1%
- Record year
- 2019 10.2 million t
- Largest yearly fall
- 1984 −7.9%
| Decade | Average per year | vs previous decade |
|---|---|---|
| 1960s (1961–1969) | 5.4 million t | — |
| 1970s | 5.9 million t | +9.5% |
| 1980s | 7.3 million t | +24% |
| 1990s | 8.0 million t | +8.9% |
| 2000s | 8.5 million t | +6.7% |
| 2010s | 9.8 million t | +14% |
| 2020s (2020–2024) | 10.0 million t | +2.5% |
Production per person, 2024
World production of sheep milk was 1.20 kg per person in 2024. The highest figures, among countries with at least 1 million inhabitants:
| # | Country | kg per person | Production |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greece | 94.1 | 945,820 t |
| 2 | Cyprus | 39.1 | 53,100 t |
| 3 | Syria | 29.0 | 714,642 t |
| 4 | Albania | 23.0 | 64,210 t |
| 5 | Romania | 22.8 | 434,400 t |
| 6 | Somalia | 16.3 | 309,107 t |
| 7 | Mauritania | 15.4 | 79,663 t |
| 8 | North Macedonia | 14.1 | 25,698 t |
| 9 | Algeria | 11.6 | 542,280 t |
| 10 | South Sudan | 11.3 | 134,878 t |
Production divided by population (FAOSTAT population estimates, 2024). Production per person is not consumption: countries export, import and use crops for feed, processing and industry.
Questions and answers
Which country produces the most sheep milk?
China was the largest producer in 2024 with 1.3 million t, 12.8% of the world total, according to FAOSTAT.
What is the world production of sheep milk?
World production was 9.8 million t in 2024, +1.3% compared with 2014.
Which countries produce the most sheep milk?
In 2024: China (1.3 million t, 12.8%), Greece (945,820 t, 9.6%), Turkey (906,945 t, 9.2%), Syria (714,642 t, 7.3%), Algeria (542,280 t, 5.5%). Together they account for 44.5% of the world total.
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.
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About the data
- Figures are production in tonnes 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 — Sheep milk. Retrieved via Husfarm, https://husfarm.com/production/sheep-milk/. 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.