Number of cattle in Nigeria
Number of cattle in Nigeria was 20,943,448 head in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. That is up 0.2% from 2023. That is the 16th highest of 190 countries in 2024.
Number of cattle in Nigeria, 1961 to 2024
All 64 values
| Period | head |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 20,943,448 Estimated |
| 2023 | 20,896,548 Estimated |
| 2022 | 20,862,418 Estimated |
| 2021 | 20,764,244 |
| 2020 | 20,585,153 |
| 2019 | 20,402,276 Estimated |
| 2018 | 20,240,605 Estimated |
| 2017 | 20,057,095 |
| 2016 | 19,884,104 |
| 2015 | 20,184,763 |
| 2014 | 19,753,249 |
| 2013 | 19,374,029 |
| 2012 | 19,206,928 |
| 2011 | 19,041,270 |
| 2010 | 16,577,962 |
| 2009 | 16,434,978 |
| 2008 | 16,293,200 |
| 2007 | 16,152,700 |
| 2006 | 16,013,382 |
| 2005 | 15,875,266 |
| 2004 | 15,700,000 |
| 2003 | 15,163,700 |
| 2002 | 15,148,600 |
| 2001 | 15,133,400 |
| 2000 | 15,118,300 |
| 1999 | 15,103,200 |
| 1998 | 15,088,100 |
| 1997 | 15,073,000 |
| 1996 | 15,050,000 Estimated |
| 1995 | 15,000,000 Estimated |
| 1994 | 14,881,350 |
| 1993 | 14,807,320 |
| 1992 | 14,086,820 |
| 1991 | 14,016,740 |
| 1990 | 13,947,000 |
| 1989 | 13,957,940 |
| 1988 | 13,759,000 |
| 1987 | 13,415,000 |
| 1986 | 13,156,000 |
| 1985 | 12,908,000 |
| 1984 | 12,702,000 |
| 1983 | 12,584,000 |
| 1982 | 12,386,000 |
| 1981 | 12,214,000 |
| 1980 | 12,108,000 |
| 1979 | 11,877,000 |
| 1978 | 11,576,000 |
| 1977 | 11,223,000 |
| 1976 | 10,962,000 |
| 1975 | 10,548,000 |
| 1974 | 10,253,000 |
| 1973 | 9,975,000 |
| 1972 | 9,550,000 |
| 1971 | 9,203,000 |
| 1970 | 8,887,000 |
| 1969 | 8,578,000 |
| 1968 | 8,190,000 |
| 1967 | 7,828,000 |
| 1966 | 7,516,000 |
| 1965 | 7,236,000 |
| 1964 | 6,946,000 |
| 1963 | 6,627,000 |
| 1962 | 6,311,000 |
| 1961 | 6,028,000 |
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
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, Nigeria, 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, Nigeria, 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/nigeria. 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, Nigeria, 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/nigeria.
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, Nigeria, 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/nigeria (Accessed: 12 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{food_number_of_cattle_nigeria_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, Nigeria, 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/nigeria. 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, Nigeria, 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/nigeria
Y2 - 2026/10/12
N1 - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/cattle-population/nigeria.
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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What is the number of cattle in Nigeria?
Number of cattle in Nigeria was 20,943,448 head in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. That is up 0.2% from 2023. That is the 16th highest of 190 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 Nigeria?
20,943,448 head in 2024, the highest value since 1961 in this series.