# Number of chickens in China

Number of chickens in China was 5,243,707,000 head in 2024 (estimated). Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

- Indicator id: `chicken_stocks`
- Place id: `cn`
- Unit: head
- Definition: Number of chickens present in the country, laying hens and birds raised for meat alike, as published in FAOSTAT's crops and livestock products domain. FAO publishes thousands of birds; Invokely multiplies by 1,000.
- Note: A count on one day of the year, while broilers live a few weeks, so it understates the number of birds raised in a year. 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.
- Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Production: Crops and livestock products (QCL): Chickens, stocks, 1000 head (item 1057, element 5112) (https://bulks-faostat.fao.org/production/Production_Crops_Livestock_E_All_Data_%28Normalized%29.zip)
- Publisher page: https://invokely.ai/en/publishers/fao
- Retrieved: 2026-10-12
- License: CC BY 4.0 with the FAO Statistical Database Terms of Use (attribution in FAO's format, no use to promote a commercial enterprise or its products, no implied FAO endorsement)
- Citation: FAO. 2025. FAOSTAT: Production: Crops and livestock products (QCL): Chickens, stocks, 1000 head (item 1057, element 5112). 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.
- Web page: https://invokely.ai/en/chicken-population/china
- API: https://invokely.ai/api/v1/series?indicator=chicken_stocks&place=cn

| Period | head |
|---|---:|
| 2024 | 5,243,707,000 (estimated) |
| 2023 | 5,219,059,000 (estimated) |
| 2022 | 5,194,411,000 (estimated) |
| 2021 | 5,212,725,000 (estimated) |
| 2020 | 5,200,676,000 (estimated) |
| 2019 | 5,178,077,000 (estimated) |
| 2018 | 5,128,792,000 (estimated) |
| 2017 | 5,032,945,000 (estimated) |
| 2016 | 4,878,071,000 (estimated) |
| 2015 | 4,695,496,000 (estimated) |
| 2014 | 4,539,500,000 |
| 2013 | 4,741,500,000 |
| 2012 | 4,817,670,000 |
| 2011 | 4,610,000,000 |
| 2010 | 5,200,000,000 (estimated) |
| 2009 | 5,120,000,000 |
| 2008 | 4,925,000,000 |
| 2007 | 4,600,000,000 |
| 2006 | 4,345,000,000 |
| 2005 | 4,335,000,000 |
| 2004 | 4,100,000,000 |
| 2003 | 3,860,000,000 |
| 2002 | 3,980,000,000 |
| 2001 | 3,650,000,000 (estimated) |
| 2000 | 3,500,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1999 | 3,300,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1998 | 3,000,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1997 | 3,870,000,000 |
| 1996 | 3,369,000,000 |
| 1995 | 3,035,680,000 |
| 1994 | 2,900,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1993 | 2,600,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1992 | 2,350,000,000 |
| 1991 | 2,223,000,000 |
| 1990 | 2,000,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1989 | 1,900,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1988 | 1,775,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1987 | 1,570,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1986 | 1,370,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1985 | 1,200,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1984 | 1,120,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1983 | 1,060,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1982 | 980,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1981 | 920,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1980 | 875,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1979 | 805,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1978 | 779,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1977 | 743,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1976 | 729,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1975 | 686,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1974 | 682,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1973 | 657,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1972 | 651,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1971 | 630,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1970 | 620,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1969 | 610,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1968 | 600,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1967 | 594,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1966 | 587,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1965 | 580,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1964 | 576,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1963 | 560,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1962 | 543,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1961 | 530,000,000 (estimated) |