Sheep: number of animals by country
Sheep: the number of live animals kept in each country. Which countries have the most?
#1 China (183M animals), #2 India (115M animals), #3 Australia (79.3M animals). The last place is Vanuatu (1.26K animals).
How to read this number
The number of live animals in the country, from the FAO’s livestock “stocks” statistics. Item: Sheep.
Only countries with animals counted above zero are listed; countries with none, or with no FAO figure, are not ranked. Counting methods and dates differ by country, and many figures are FAO estimates. This is the number of animals, not the amount of meat, milk or eggs they produce.
- Countries listed: 173 (of 193)
- Data years: 2022–2024 (differs by country)
- 171 countries use 2024 data
Map
Ranking table
Sorted from the highest value
| Rank | Country | Sheep: number of animals | Year | Bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  China |
182,939,000 animals | 2024 | |
| 2 |  India |
114,623,765 animals | 2024 | |
| 3 |  Australia |
79,330,000 animals | 2024 | |
| 4 |  Iran |
53,820,779 animals | 2024 | |
| 5 |  Nigeria |
52,136,324 animals | 2024 | |
| 6 |  Chad |
45,168,961 animals | 2024 | |
| 7 |  Türkiye |
44,080,584 animals | 2024 | |
| 8 |  Ethiopia |
41,050,910 animals | 2024 | |
| 9 |  Sudan |
40,705,303 animals | 2024 | |
| 10 |  Pakistan |
32,731,000 animals | 2024 | |
| 11 |  Algeria |
32,354,831 animals | 2024 | |
| 12 |  United Kingdom |
31,016,701 animals | 2024 | |
| 13 |  Kenya |
26,214,927 animals | 2024 | |
| 14 |  Mongolia |
24,491,124 animals | 2024 | |
| 15 |  Mali |
24,483,549 animals | 2024 | |
| 16 |  New Zealand |
23,583,001 animals | 2024 | |
| 17 |  Saudi Arabia |
22,428,136 animals | 2024 | |
| 18 |  Brazil |
21,862,326 animals | 2024 | |
| 19 |  South Africa |
21,240,448 animals | 2024 | |
| 20 |  Uzbekistan |
21,028,100 animals | 2024 | |
| 21 |  Morocco |
19,892,910 animals | 2024 | |
| 22 |  Russia |
19,111,986 animals | 2024 | |
| 23 |  Kazakhstan |
18,546,044 animals | 2024 | |
| 24 |  Syria |
17,928,586 animals | 2024 | |
| 25 |  Niger |
15,669,056 animals | 2024 | |
| 26 |  Indonesia |
15,137,290 animals | 2024 | |
| 27 |  South Sudan |
14,353,872 animals | 2024 | |
| 28 |  Turkmenistan |
14,270,745 animals | 2024 | |
| 29 |  Spain |
13,476,030 animals | 2024 | |
| 30 |  Afghanistan |
12,450,000 animals | 2024 | |
| 31 |  Argentina |
12,440,906 animals | 2024 | |
| 32 |  Burkina Faso |
11,543,571 animals | 2024 | |
| 33 |  Peru |
11,278,083 animals | 2024 | |
| 34 |  Mauritania |
11,208,099 animals | 2024 | |
| 35 |  Yemen |
10,799,861 animals | 2024 | |
| 36 |  Romania |
10,443,400 animals | 2024 | |
| 37 |  Tanzania |
9,505,944 animals | 2024 | |
| 38 |  Mexico |
8,866,253 animals | 2024 | |
| 39 |  Senegal |
8,726,635 animals | 2024 | |
| 40 |  Somalia |
7,987,932 animals | 2024 | |
| 41 |  Greece |
7,774,200 animals | 2024 | |
| 42 |  Libya |
7,491,773 animals | 2024 | |
| 43 |  Bolivia |
7,470,438 animals | 2024 | |
| 44 |  Azerbaijan |
7,041,901 animals | 2024 | |
| 45 |  Iraq |
6,672,540 animals | 2024 | |
| 46 |  France |
6,607,000 animals | 2024 | |
| 47 |  Ghana |
6,176,664 animals | 2024 | |
| 48 |  Tunisia |
6,094,960 animals | 2024 | |
| 49 |  Uruguay |
5,654,270 animals | 2024 | |
| 50 |  Kyrgyzstan |
5,621,278 animals | 2024 | |
| 51 |  Italy |
5,390,350 animals | 2024 | |
| 52 |  United States |
5,030,000 animals | 2024 | |
| 53 |  Uganda |
4,373,676 animals | 2024 | |
| 54 |  Tajikistan |
4,283,000 animals | 2024 | |
| 55 |  Guinea |
3,995,308 animals | 2024 | |
| 56 |  Bangladesh |
3,903,000 animals | 2024 | |
| 57 |  Ireland |
3,591,640 animals | 2024 | |
| 58 |  Cameroon |
3,551,761 animals | 2024 | |
| 59 |  Jordan |
3,076,021 animals | 2024 | |
| 60 |  Benin |
2,647,421 animals | 2024 | |
| 61 |  Côte d’Ivoire |
2,636,786 animals | 2024 | |
| 62 |  Eritrea |
2,508,985 animals | 2024 | |
| 63 |  Portugal |
2,142,450 animals | 2024 | |
| 64 |  Norway |
2,128,600 animals | 2024 | |
| 65 |  United Arab Emirates |
2,045,170 animals | 2024 | |
| 66 |  Togo |
2,029,331 animals | 2024 | |
| 67 |  Egypt |
1,950,000 animals | 2024 | |
| 68 |  Namibia |
1,921,652 animals | 2024 | |
| 69 |  Lesotho |
1,913,822 animals | 2024 | |
| 70 |  Serbia |
1,759,424 animals | 2024 | |
| 71 |  Chile |
1,750,000 animals | 2024 | |
| 72 |  Colombia |
1,689,875 animals | 2024 | |
| 73 |  Germany |
1,510,900 animals | 2024 | |
| 74 |  Cuba |
1,357,728 animals | 2024 | |
| 75 |  Albania |
1,176,523 animals | 2024 | |
| 76 |  Angola |
1,140,494 animals | 2024 | |
| 77 |  Bosnia & Herzegovina |
1,098,899 animals | 2024 | |
| 78 |  Bulgaria |
1,016,700 animals | 2024 | |
| 79 |  Sierra Leone |
934,780 animals | 2024 | |
| 80 |  Madagascar |
925,907 animals | 2024 | |
| 81 |  Democratic Republic of the Congo |
920,510 animals | 2024 | |
| 82 |  Hungary |
846,800 animals | 2024 | |
| 83 |  Canada |
822,000 animals | 2024 | |
| 84 |  Qatar |
804,695 animals | 2024 | |
| 85 |  Zimbabwe |
746,277 animals | 2024 | |
| 86 |  Kuwait |
737,547 animals | 2024 | |
| 87 |  Georgia |
712,400 animals | 2024 | |
| 88 |  Burundi |
708,094 animals | 2024 | |
| 89 |  Armenia |
690,565 animals | 2024 | |
| 90 |  Oman |
681,650 animals | 2024 | |
| 91 |  Nepal |
633,222 animals | 2024 | |
| 92 |  Venezuela |
629,786 animals | 2024 | |
| 93 |  Guatemala |
611,329 animals | 2024 | |
| 94 |  Netherlands |
607,000 animals | 2024 | |
| 95 |  Croatia |
553,000 animals | 2024 | |
| 96 |  Myanmar |
540,000 animals | 2024 | |
| 97 |  North Macedonia |
517,128 animals | 2024 | |
| 98 |  Ukraine |
488,000 animals | 2024 | |
| 99 |  Guinea-Bissau |
472,038 animals | 2024 | |
| 100 |  Djibouti |
470,538 animals | 2024 | |
| 101 |  Central African Republic |
452,132 animals | 2024 | |
| 102 |  Ecuador |
448,382 animals | 2024 | |
| 103 |  Malawi |
436,701 animals | 2024 | |
| 104 |  Lebanon |
430,853 animals | 2024 | |
| 105 |  Moldova |
423,608 animals | 2024 | |
| 106 |  Israel |
400,000 animals | 2024 | |
| 107 |  Austria |
390,940 animals | 2024 | |
| 108 |  Switzerland |
374,239 animals | 2024 | |
| 109 |  Paraguay |
371,738 animals | 2024 | |
| 110 |  Cyprus |
364,750 animals | 2024 | |
| 111 |  Iceland |
345,440 animals | 2024 | |
| 112 |  Zambia |
330,243 animals | 2024 | |
| 113 |  Sweden |
315,790 animals | 2024 | |
| 114 |  Haiti |
311,123 animals | 2024 | |
| 115 |  Rwanda |
288,916 animals | 2024 | |
| 116 |  Liberia |
281,696 animals | 2024 | |
| 117 |  Slovakia |
276,464 animals | 2024 | |
| 118 |  Poland |
269,538 animals | 2024 | |
| 119 |  Dominican Republic |
261,952 animals | 2024 | |
| 120 |  Mozambique |
229,764 animals | 2024 | |
| 121 |  Gabon |
221,154 animals | 2024 | |
| 122 |  Gambia |
190,879 animals | 2024 | |
| 123 |  Czechia |
180,368 animals | 2024 | |
| 124 |  North Korea |
164,779 animals | 2024 | |
| 125 |  Botswana |
148,744 animals | 2024 | |
| 126 |  Denmark |
147,980 animals | 2024 | |
| 127 |  Montenegro |
144,916 animals | 2024 | |
| 128 |  Malaysia |
139,393 animals | 2024 | |
| 129 |  Guyana |
132,162 animals | 2024 | |
| 130 |  Republic of the Congo |
125,957 animals | 2024 | |
| 131 |  Lithuania |
124,410 animals | 2024 | |
| 132 |  Slovenia |
116,825 animals | 2024 | |
| 133 |  Finland |
115,432 animals | 2024 | |
| 134 |  Belgium |
110,120 animals | 2022 | |
| 135 |  Belarus |
74,000 animals | 2024 | |
| 136 |  Latvia |
69,640 animals | 2024 | |
| 137 |  Bahrain |
63,000 animals | 2024 | |
| 138 |  Estonia |
46,100 animals | 2024 | |
| 139 |  Equatorial Guinea |
41,686 animals | 2024 | |
| 140 |  Thailand |
41,664 animals | 2024 | |
| 141 |  Fiji |
39,547 animals | 2024 | |
| 142 |  Timor-Leste |
39,000 animals | 2024 | |
| 143 |  Philippines |
30,000 animals | 2024 | |
| 144 |  Comoros |
26,249 animals | 2024 | |
| 145 |  Cape Verde |
19,701 animals | 2024 | |
| 146 |  Eswatini |
18,522 animals | 2024 | |
| 147 |  Sri Lanka |
17,820 animals | 2024 | |
| 148 |  Honduras |
16,971 animals | 2024 | |
| 149 |  Belize |
16,798 animals | 2024 | |
| 150 |  Trinidad & Tobago |
15,471 animals | 2024 | |
| 151 |  Japan |
15,151 animals | 2024 | |
| 152 |  Malta |
14,560 animals | 2024 | |
| 153 |  Barbados |
12,718 animals | 2024 | |
| 154 |  St. Kitts & Nevis |
10,993 animals | 2024 | |
| 155 |  Grenada |
9,639 animals | 2024 | |
| 156 |  Luxembourg |
9,635 animals | 2024 | |
| 157 |  Bhutan |
9,176 animals | 2024 | |
| 158 |  St. Lucia |
9,146 animals | 2024 | |
| 159 |  Dominica |
8,516 animals | 2024 | |
| 160 |  St. Vincent & Grenadines |
8,496 animals | 2024 | |
| 161 |  Papua New Guinea |
7,309 animals | 2024 | |
| 162 |  Nicaragua |
6,931 animals | 2023 | |
| 163 |  Suriname |
6,626 animals | 2024 | |
| 164 |  Bahamas |
6,590 animals | 2024 | |
| 165 |  El Salvador |
5,577 animals | 2024 | |
| 166 |  Mauritius |
5,050 animals | 2024 | |
| 167 |  Antigua & Barbuda |
4,473 animals | 2024 | |
| 168 |  Brunei |
4,356 animals | 2024 | |
| 169 |  São Tomé & Príncipe |
3,386 animals | 2024 | |
| 170 |  Costa Rica |
2,896 animals | 2024 | |
| 171 |  South Korea |
1,391 animals | 2024 | |
| 172 |  Jamaica |
1,311 animals | 2024 | |
| 173 |  Vanuatu |
1,260 animals | 2024 |
No matching countries.
Each value is the latest year available for that country (see the Year column), so the years can differ from country to country.
Data is available for 173 of 193 countries. The rest are not listed.
Source: FAO. 2025. FAOSTAT: Crops and livestock products. Accessed on 04 November 2026. https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#data/QCL Licence: CC-BY-4.0. Processed by this site. fao.org/faostat
How it has changed (1961–2024)
See how sheep number of animals has changed across the world’s countries from 1961 to 2024.
- The country ranked first changed over time: Australia in 1961–1995, China in 1996, Australia in 1997, China in 1998–2024. This is the first place among today’s countries: regions that later split, such as the former Soviet Union, have no values from before the split.
- Japan’s sheep number of animals went from 677K animals in 1961 to 15.2K animals in 2024 (down 662K animals).
- Japan ranked #62 of 141 countries in 1961 and #150 of 171 in 2024. The number of countries differs between the years, so the ranks are not directly comparable.
| Country | 1961 | 1970 | 1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2010 | 2020 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| China | 61.6M animals | 79.7M animals | 103M animals | 111M animals | 131M animals | 145M animals | 173M animals | 183M animals |
| India | 40.2M animals | 40.7M animals | 45M animals | 48.7M animals | 59.4M animals | 67.7M animals | 85.9M animals | 115M animals |
| Australia | 153M animals | 180M animals | 136M animals | 170M animals | 119M animals | 68.1M animals | 63.5M animals | 79.3M animals |
| Iran | 31.8M animals | 29.5M animals | 34.5M animals | 44.6M animals | 53.9M animals | 47.6M animals | 46.6M animals | 53.8M animals |
| Nigeria | 1.02M animals | 3.22M animals | 8.05M animals | 12.5M animals | 26M animals | 35.5M animals | 47.9M animals | 52.1M animals |
| Japan | 677K animals | 21.4K animals | 12K animals | 30.7K animals | 10K animals | 12K animals | 13.4K animals | 15.2K animals |
| Countries with data | 141 | 141 | 141 | 142 | 168 | 170 | 171 | 171 |
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- The color bar (legend) under the map shows how colors match values. Point at a country to see its number.
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