Number of cattle in Portugal
Number of cattle in Portugal was 1,486,910 head in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. That is down 2.7% from 2023. That is the 11th highest of 27 EU countries in 2024.
Number of cattle in Portugal, 1961 to 2024
All 64 values
| Period | head |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 1,486,910 |
| 2023 | 1,527,720 |
| 2022 | 1,579,140 |
| 2021 | 1,640,650 |
| 2020 | 1,691,320 |
| 2019 | 1,674,970 |
| 2018 | 1,632,420 |
| 2017 | 1,670,000 |
| 2016 | 1,635,000 |
| 2015 | 1,606,000 |
| 2014 | 1,549,000 |
| 2013 | 1,471,000 |
| 2012 | 1,497,500 |
| 2011 | 1,503,000 |
| 2010 | 1,447,000 |
| 2009 | 1,495,000 |
| 2008 | 1,491,000 |
| 2007 | 1,452,000 |
| 2006 | 1,440,800 |
| 2005 | 1,443,000 |
| 2004 | 1,389,000 |
| 2003 | 1,395,000 |
| 2002 | 1,404,000 |
| 2001 | 1,414,000 |
| 2000 | 1,421,000 |
| 1999 | 1,409,000 |
| 1998 | 1,386,000 |
| 1997 | 1,389,000 |
| 1996 | 1,386,000 |
| 1995 | 1,363,000 |
| 1994 | 1,348,000 |
| 1993 | 1,336,000 |
| 1992 | 1,398,000 |
| 1991 | 1,367,000 |
| 1990 | 1,392,000 |
| 1989 | 1,359,000 |
| 1988 | 1,371,000 |
| 1987 | 1,332,000 |
| 1986 | 1,310,000 |
| 1985 | 1,297,000 |
| 1984 | 1,283,000 |
| 1983 | 1,302,000 |
| 1982 | 1,369,000 |
| 1981 | 1,379,000 |
| 1980 | 1,324,000 |
| 1979 | 1,294,000 |
| 1978 | 1,287,000 |
| 1977 | 1,210,000 |
| 1976 | 1,080,000 |
| 1975 | 1,150,000 |
| 1974 | 1,072,000 |
| 1973 | 1,273,097 |
| 1972 | 1,266,000 |
| 1971 | 1,253,000 |
| 1970 | 1,259,000 |
| 1969 | 1,244,000 |
| 1968 | 1,130,264 |
| 1967 | 1,050,000 |
| 1966 | 1,080,000 |
| 1965 | 1,108,000 |
| 1964 | 1,141,000 |
| 1963 | 1,127,000 |
| 1962 | 1,114,000 |
| 1961 | 1,108,000 |
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, Portugal, 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, Portugal, 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/portugal. 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, Portugal, 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/portugal.
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, Portugal, 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/portugal (Accessed: 12 October 2026).
BibTeX
@misc{food_number_of_cattle_portugal_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, Portugal, 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/portugal. 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, Portugal, 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/portugal
Y2 - 2026/10/12
N1 - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/en/cattle-population/portugal.
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 -
Use this data in your AI agent
Invokely serves this figure to AI assistants through MCP and to code through a REST API, with the source and citation attached. Ask your assistant:
What is the latest number of cattle in Portugal? Cite the source.
get_value {"indicator":"cattle_stocks","place":"pt"}
GET https://invokely.ai/api/v1/value?indicator=cattle_stocks&place=pt
Questions
What is the number of cattle in Portugal?
Number of cattle in Portugal was 1,486,910 head in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. That is down 2.7% from 2023. That is the 11th 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 Portugal?
1,691,320 head in 2020, the highest value since 1961 in this series.
Number of cattle elsewhere in European Union (27)
Related statistics for Portugal
- Agriculture, forestry and fishing, value added
- Banana production
- Protein supply per person
- Food supply (calories per person)
- Imports of goods and services, US dollars
- Household spending on furnishings and household equipment per inhabitant (EUR)
- CO2 emissions from energy consumption
- US goods exports by destination