# Number of chickens in South Africa

Number of chickens in South Africa was 175,199,000 head in 2024 (estimated). Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

- Indicator id: `chicken_stocks`
- Place id: `za`
- 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/south-africa
- API: https://invokely.ai/api/v1/series?indicator=chicken_stocks&place=za

| Period | head |
|---|---:|
| 2024 | 175,199,000 (estimated) |
| 2023 | 175,215,000 (estimated) |
| 2022 | 175,203,000 (estimated) |
| 2021 | 177,561,000 (estimated) |
| 2020 | 177,524,000 (estimated) |
| 2019 | 174,303,000 (estimated) |
| 2018 | 171,063,000 (estimated) |
| 2017 | 167,033,000 (estimated) |
| 2016 | 163,870,000 (estimated) |
| 2015 | 162,000,000 |
| 2014 | 160,700,000 |
| 2013 | 161,600,000 |
| 2012 | 200,000,000 (estimated) |
| 2011 | 200,000,000 (estimated) |
| 2010 | 197,000,000 (estimated) |
| 2009 | 185,000,000 (estimated) |
| 2008 | 170,000,000 (estimated) |
| 2007 | 141,000,000 (estimated) |
| 2006 | 125,840,000 |
| 2005 | 121,000,000 |
| 2004 | 145,000,000 (estimated) |
| 2003 | 144,000,000 (estimated) |
| 2002 | 148,000,000 (estimated) |
| 2001 | 138,000,000 (estimated) |
| 2000 | 126,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1999 | 119,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1998 | 113,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1997 | 115,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1996 | 110,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1995 | 100,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1994 | 95,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1993 | 92,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1992 | 88,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1991 | 88,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1990 | 87,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1989 | 44,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1988 | 42,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1987 | 40,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1986 | 38,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1985 | 36,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1984 | 34,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1983 | 32,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1982 | 31,500,000 (estimated) |
| 1981 | 31,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1980 | 30,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1979 | 29,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1978 | 28,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1977 | 27,000,000 |
| 1976 | 26,000,000 |
| 1975 | 25,000,000 |
| 1974 | 24,600,000 |
| 1973 | 33,500,000 |
| 1972 | 29,000,000 |
| 1971 | 26,000,000 |
| 1970 | 22,500,000 |
| 1969 | 22,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1968 | 22,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1967 | 21,500,000 |
| 1966 | 21,000,000 |
| 1965 | 20,500,000 (estimated) |
| 1964 | 20,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1963 | 19,500,000 (estimated) |
| 1962 | 19,000,000 (estimated) |
| 1961 | 18,500,000 (estimated) |