Number of cattle in Belgium

Number of cattle in Belgium was 2,153,430 head in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. That is down 4.1% from 2023. That is the 8th highest of 27 EU countries in 2024.

2024, head2,153,430
Change on 2023-4.1%
Rank8th of 27EU countries ranked
Series high3,041,5602000
Series low2,153,4302024

Next release: Thursday, 31 December 2026, estimated by Invokely from past publication dates (low confidence), not announced by the publisher. Release calendar

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Number of cattle in Belgium, 2000 to 2024

2M2.2M2.4M2.6M2.8M3M3.2M20002004200820122016202020242000: 3,041,560 head2001: 3,037,760 head2002: 2,891,260 head2003: 2,778,077 head2004: 2,738,648 head2005: 2,698,649 head2006: 2,669,076 head2007: 2,649,392 head2008: 2,605,532 head2009: 2,600,453 head2010: 2,593,000 head2011: 2,560,319 head2012: 2,484,272 head2013: 2,454,704 head2014: 2,477,236 head2015: 2,503,262 head2016: 2,501,349 head2017: 2,385,988 head2018: 2,398,090 head2019: 2,373,100 head2020: 2,335,440 head2021: 2,310,440 head2022: 2,286,110 head2023: 2,245,710 head2024: 2,153,430 head
head. Source: FAOSTAT, Production: Crops and livestock products (QCL): Cattle, stocks, head (item 866, element 5111). Retrieved 2026-10-12, published 2025-12-31.
All 25 values
Periodhead
20242,153,430
20232,245,710
20222,286,110
20212,310,440
20202,335,440
20192,373,100
20182,398,090
20172,385,988
20162,501,349
20152,503,262
20142,477,236
20132,454,704
20122,484,272
20112,560,319
20102,593,000
20092,600,453
20082,605,532
20072,649,392
20062,669,076
20052,698,649
20042,738,648
20032,778,077
20022,891,260
20013,037,760
20003,041,560

Rankings

Definition

Number of cattle (domestic cattle, not buffaloes) present in the country, as published in FAOSTAT's crops and livestock products domain. FAO asks for the count on one day of the year, usually the census or survey date, so the reference day differs between countries.

FAO fills gaps in national reporting with its own estimates and imputations, which are marked as estimated, and revises past years when countries send new figures.

How to cite

FAO. 2025. FAOSTAT: Production: Crops and livestock products (QCL): Cattle, stocks, head (item 866, element 5111). Accessed on 2026-10-12. https://bulks-faostat.fao.org/production/Production_Crops_Livestock_E_All_Data_%28Normalized%29.zip Licence: CC-BY-4.0. FAO does not endorse Invokely or this use of the data.

Citation styles

The publisher is the author. Invokely is named only as the place the figures were read, where a style asks for it.

APA 7

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2025). Production: Crops and livestock products (QCL): Cattle, stocks, head (item 866, element 5111) (Number of cattle, Belgium, 2000 to 2024) [Data set]. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://bulks-faostat.fao.org/production/Production_Crops_Livestock_E_All_Data_%28Normalized%29.zip

MLA 9

Production: Crops and livestock products (QCL): Cattle, stocks, head (item 866, element 5111), Number of cattle, Belgium, 2000 to 2024. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 31 Dec. 2025, https://bulks-faostat.fao.org/production/Production_Crops_Livestock_E_All_Data_%28Normalized%29.zip. Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/cattle-population/belgium. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

Chicago (author-date)

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2025. Production: Crops and livestock products (QCL): Cattle, stocks, head (item 866, element 5111). Number of cattle, Belgium, 2000 to 2024. Dataset. Accessed October 12, 2026. https://bulks-faostat.fao.org/production/Production_Crops_Livestock_E_All_Data_%28Normalized%29.zip. Also distributed by Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/cattle-population/belgium.

Harvard

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) Production: Crops and livestock products (QCL): Cattle, stocks, head (item 866, element 5111), Number of cattle, Belgium, 2000 to 2024 [Dataset]. Available at: https://bulks-faostat.fao.org/production/Production_Crops_Livestock_E_All_Data_%28Normalized%29.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/en/cattle-population/belgium (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{food_number_of_cattle_belgium_2024,
  author = {{Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations}},
  title = {{Production: Crops and livestock products (QCL): Cattle, stocks, head (item 866, element 5111): Number of cattle, Belgium, 2000 to 2024}},
  year = {2025},
  howpublished = {Data set},
  url = {https://bulks-faostat.fao.org/production/Production_Crops_Livestock_E_All_Data_%28Normalized%29.zip},
  urldate = {2026-10-12},
  note = {Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/cattle-population/belgium. Publisher attribution: FAO. 2025. FAOSTAT: Production: Crops and livestock products (QCL): Cattle, stocks, head (item 866, element 5111). Accessed on 2026-10-12. https://bulks-faostat.fao.org/production/Production\_Crops\_Livestock\_E\_All\_Data\_\%28Normalized\%29.zip Licence: CC-BY-4.0. FAO does not endorse Invokely or this use of the data.},
}
RIS
TY  - DATA
AU  - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
TI  - Production: Crops and livestock products (QCL): Cattle, stocks, head (item 866, element 5111): Number of cattle, Belgium, 2000 to 2024
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/31
PB  - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
DB  - Invokely
UR  - https://bulks-faostat.fao.org/production/Production_Crops_Livestock_E_All_Data_%28Normalized%29.zip
L2  - https://invokely.ai/en/cattle-population/belgium
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/cattle-population/belgium.
N1  - Publisher attribution: FAO. 2025. FAOSTAT: Production: Crops and livestock products (QCL): Cattle, stocks, head (item 866, element 5111). Accessed on 2026-10-12. https://bulks-faostat.fao.org/production/Production_Crops_Livestock_E_All_Data_%28Normalized%29.zip Licence: CC-BY-4.0. FAO does not endorse Invokely or this use of the data.
ER  - 
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Questions

What is the number of cattle in Belgium?

Number of cattle in Belgium was 2,153,430 head in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. That is down 4.1% from 2023. That is the 8th highest of 27 EU countries in 2024.

Where does this figure come from?

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Production: Crops and livestock products (QCL): Cattle, stocks, head (item 866, element 5111). Retrieved by Invokely on 2026-10-12.

What was the highest number of cattle in Belgium?

3,041,560 head in 2000, the highest value since 2000 in this series.

Number of cattle elsewhere in European Union (27)

Related statistics for Belgium

All statistics for Belgium | Belgium in figures