Data / Number of cattle / Germany

Number of cattle in Germany

Number of cattle in Germany was 10,461,290 head in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. That is down 3.5% from 2023. That is the 2nd highest of 27 EU countries in 2024.

2024, head10,461,290
Change on 2023-3.5%
Rank2nd of 27EU countries ranked
Series high21,535,9681985
Series low10,461,2902024

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 Germany, 1961 to 2024

10M12.5M15M17.5M20M22.5M19611971198119912001201120241961: 17,542,592 head1962: 17,824,288 head1963: 17,862,288 head1964: 17,627,696 head1965: 17,735,488 head1966: 18,442,496 head1967: 18,891,600 head1968: 18,999,696 head1969: 19,170,192 head1970: 19,457,408 head1971: 19,216,160 head1972: 18,930,864 head1973: 19,271,360 head1974: 19,845,504 head1975: 20,014,880 head1976: 20,024,928 head1977: 19,967,808 head1978: 20,312,288 head1979: 20,579,216 head1980: 20,645,840 head1981: 20,791,952 head1982: 20,741,296 head1983: 20,788,576 head1984: 21,319,520 head1985: 21,535,968 head1986: 21,453,088 head1987: 21,108,928 head1988: 20,607,440 head1989: 20,369,056 head1990: 20,287,824 head1991: 19,488,000 head1992: 17,133,800 head1993: 16,207,340 head1994: 15,896,620 head1995: 15,962,237 head1996: 15,889,915 head1997: 15,759,573 head1998: 15,227,152 head1999: 14,942,024 head2000: 14,657,901 head2001: 14,567,737 head2002: 14,226,600 head2003: 13,643,703 head2004: 13,195,800 head2005: 13,034,500 head2006: 12,747,900 head2007: 12,686,644 head2008: 12,969,674 head2009: 12,944,903 head2010: 12,809,492 head2011: 12,562,600 head2012: 12,477,389 head2013: 12,587,020 head2014: 12,742,190 head2015: 12,635,456 head2016: 12,466,586 head2017: 12,281,195 head2018: 11,949,090 head2019: 11,639,530 head2020: 11,301,860 head2021: 11,039,660 head2022: 10,996,960 head2023: 10,836,200 head2024: 10,461,290 head10M15M20M25M19611983200520241961: 17,542,592 head1962: 17,824,288 head1963: 17,862,288 head1964: 17,627,696 head1965: 17,735,488 head1966: 18,442,496 head1967: 18,891,600 head1968: 18,999,696 head1969: 19,170,192 head1970: 19,457,408 head1971: 19,216,160 head1972: 18,930,864 head1973: 19,271,360 head1974: 19,845,504 head1975: 20,014,880 head1976: 20,024,928 head1977: 19,967,808 head1978: 20,312,288 head1979: 20,579,216 head1980: 20,645,840 head1981: 20,791,952 head1982: 20,741,296 head1983: 20,788,576 head1984: 21,319,520 head1985: 21,535,968 head1986: 21,453,088 head1987: 21,108,928 head1988: 20,607,440 head1989: 20,369,056 head1990: 20,287,824 head1991: 19,488,000 head1992: 17,133,800 head1993: 16,207,340 head1994: 15,896,620 head1995: 15,962,237 head1996: 15,889,915 head1997: 15,759,573 head1998: 15,227,152 head1999: 14,942,024 head2000: 14,657,901 head2001: 14,567,737 head2002: 14,226,600 head2003: 13,643,703 head2004: 13,195,800 head2005: 13,034,500 head2006: 12,747,900 head2007: 12,686,644 head2008: 12,969,674 head2009: 12,944,903 head2010: 12,809,492 head2011: 12,562,600 head2012: 12,477,389 head2013: 12,587,020 head2014: 12,742,190 head2015: 12,635,456 head2016: 12,466,586 head2017: 12,281,195 head2018: 11,949,090 head2019: 11,639,530 head2020: 11,301,860 head2021: 11,039,660 head2022: 10,996,960 head2023: 10,836,200 head2024: 10,461,290 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 64 values
Periodhead
202410,461,290
202310,836,200
202210,996,960
202111,039,660
202011,301,860
201911,639,530
201811,949,090
201712,281,195
201612,466,586
201512,635,456
201412,742,190
201312,587,020
201212,477,389
201112,562,600
201012,809,492
200912,944,903
200812,969,674
200712,686,644
200612,747,900
200513,034,500
200413,195,800
200313,643,703
200214,226,600
200114,567,737
200014,657,901
199914,942,024
199815,227,152
199715,759,573
199615,889,915
199515,962,237
199415,896,620
199316,207,340
199217,133,800
199119,488,000
199020,287,824
198920,369,056
198820,607,440
198721,108,928
198621,453,088
198521,535,968
198421,319,520
198320,788,576
198220,741,296
198120,791,952
198020,645,840
197920,579,216
197820,312,288
197719,967,808
197620,024,928
197520,014,880
197419,845,504
197319,271,360
197218,930,864
197119,216,160
197019,457,408
196919,170,192
196818,999,696
196718,891,600
196618,442,496
196517,735,488
196417,627,696
196317,862,288
196217,824,288
196117,542,592

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, Germany, 1961 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, Germany, 1961 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/germany. 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, Germany, 1961 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/germany.

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, Germany, 1961 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/germany (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{food_number_of_cattle_germany_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, Germany, 1961 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/germany. 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, Germany, 1961 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/germany
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/cattle-population/germany.
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 Germany?

Number of cattle in Germany was 10,461,290 head in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. That is down 3.5% from 2023. That is the 2nd 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 Germany?

21,535,968 head in 1985, the highest value since 1961 in this series.

Number of cattle elsewhere in European Union (27)

Related statistics for Germany

All statistics for Germany | Germany in figures