Data / Rankings / Number of cattle / Countries

Countries by number of cattle

Brazil had the highest number of cattle of 192 countries in 2018, at 213,809,445 head. Niue had the lowest, at 113 head. The median was 1,524,183 head and the figure for the World was 1,488,157,584 head. Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

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Highest213,809,445Brazil
Lowest113Niue
Median1,524,183192 countries
World1,488,157,584History

Map of countries, 2018

United Arab Emirates: 103,361 headAfghanistan: 5,187,636 headAntigua and Barbuda: 4,570 headAlbania: 467,318 headArmenia: 590,585 headAngola: 4,943,060 headArgentina: 54,793,181 headAustria: 1,912,810 headAustralia: 26,395,734 headAzerbaijan: 2,482,627 headBosnia and Herzegovina: 438,006 headBangladesh: 24,086,000 headBelgium: 2,398,090 headBurkina Faso: 9,840,000 headBulgaria: 542,120 headBurundi: 1,110,936 headBenin: 2,462,000 headBrunei: 681 headBolivia: 9,556,000 headBrazil: 213,809,445 headBahamas: 750 headBhutan: 368,487 headBotswana: 1,060,563 headBelarus: 4,340,400 headBelize: 101,444 headCanada: 11,670,000 headDemocratic Republic of the Congo: 1,144,766 headCentral African Republic: 4,577,997 headRepublic of the Congo: 337,311 headSwitzerland: 1,543,345 headCôte d’Ivoire: 1,694,873 headChile: 2,991,891 headCameroon: 5,809,072 headChina: 63,271,250 headColombia: 26,021,034 headCosta Rica: 1,582,179 headCuba: 3,808,400 headCape Verde: 29,558 headCyprus: 70,820 headCzechia: 1,365,240 headGermany: 11,949,090 headDjibouti: 308,241 headDenmark: 1,530,000 headDominican Republic: 3,004,496 headAlgeria: 1,816,280 headEcuador: 4,056,796 headEstonia: 251,900 headEgypt: 4,379,000 headEritrea: 2,116,621 headSpain: 6,510,590 headEthiopia: 61,510,258 headFinland: 859,380 headFiji: 89,490 headFaroe Islands: 1,873 headFrance: 18,613,040 headGabon: 39,143 headUnited Kingdom: 9,892,000 headGeorgia: 909,700 headGhana: 1,922,000 headGambia: 346,860 headGuinea: 7,520,274 headEquatorial Guinea: 5,394 headGreece: 542,000 headGuatemala: 3,920,768 headGuinea-Bissau: 711,496 headGuyana: 103,792 headHong Kong: 1,571 headHonduras: 2,828,314 headCroatia: 414,000 headHaiti: 1,518,366 headHungary: 885,000 headIndonesia: 16,432,945 headIreland: 6,593,490 headIsrael: 546,200 headIndia: 191,957,536 headIraq: 1,938,649 headIran: 5,273,236 headIceland: 81,385 headItaly: 6,311,160 headJamaica: 160,000 headJordan: 76,406 headJapan: 3,842,000 headKenya: 19,635,142 headKyrgyzstan: 1,627,296 headCambodia: 2,861,275 headNorth Korea: 576,000 headSouth Korea: 3,520,886 headKuwait: 29,077 headKazakhstan: 7,150,920 headLaos: 2,040,907 headLebanon: 86,392 headSri Lanka: 1,110,740 headLiberia: 42,494 headLesotho: 453,297 headLithuania: 653,500 headLuxembourg: 194,390 headLatvia: 395,330 headLibya: 225,140 headMorocco: 3,441,000 headMoldova: 167,423 headMontenegro: 72,949 headMadagascar: 8,605,900 headNorth Macedonia: 256,181 headMali: 11,758,377 headMyanmar: 9,907,288 headMongolia: 4,380,879 headMauritania: 1,880,390 headMauritius: 3,985 headMalawi: 1,655,517 headMexico: 34,820,271 headMalaysia: 676,686 headMozambique: 2,381,894 headNamibia: 2,832,287 headNew Caledonia: 81,555 headNiger: 14,363,592 headNigeria: 20,240,605 headNicaragua: 5,098,002 headNetherlands: 3,690,000 headNorway: 881,991 headNepal: 7,376,306 headNew Zealand: 10,106,803 headOman: 396,913 headPanama: 1,558,400 headPeru: 5,575,483 headFrench Polynesia: 8,074 headPapua New Guinea: 92,405 headPhilippines: 2,553,937 headPakistan: 46,084,000 headPoland: 6,183,300 headPuerto Rico: 234,250 headPalestine: 46,833 headPortugal: 1,632,420 headParaguay: 13,500,965 headQatar: 38,165 headRomania: 1,977,200 headSerbia: 878,336 headRussia: 18,294,228 headRwanda: 1,293,768 headSaudi Arabia: 477,255 headSolomon Islands: 15,074 headSudan: 31,223,000 headSweden: 1,435,450 headSingapore: 184 headSlovenia: 476,810 headSlovakia: 438,860 headSierra Leone: 564,928 headSenegal: 3,627,858 headSomalia: 4,789,337 headSuriname: 34,341 headSouth Sudan: 13,314,145 headEl Salvador: 740,287 headSyria: 766,642 headEswatini: 501,643 headChad: 29,069,601 headTogo: 453,088 headThailand: 4,643,381 headTajikistan: 2,327,531 headTimor-Leste: 232,814 headTurkmenistan: 2,393,722 headTunisia: 594,500 headTürkiye: 17,042,506 headTrinidad and Tobago: 34,709 headTaiwan: 145,095 headTanzania: 30,503,161 headUkraine: 3,530,800 headUganda: 14,572,000 headUnited States: 94,298,000 headUruguay: 11,468,000 headUzbekistan: 12,814,100 headVenezuela: 15,898,928 headVietnam: 5,802,907 headVanuatu: 90,000 headSamoa: 42,796 headYemen: 1,503,452 headSouth Africa: 12,789,515 headZambia: 3,714,667 headZimbabwe: 5,320,047 head
  • Under 1M
  • 1M to 2M
  • 2M to 4M
  • 4M to 12M
  • 12M and over
  • No data
head, 2018. Hatched areas have no value for this period. Source: FAOSTAT, Production: Crops and livestock products (QCL): Cattle, stocks, head (item 866, element 5111). Boundaries: Natural Earth (public domain).

Top 40 countries, 2018

Brazil: 213,809,445 headBrazil213,809,445India: 191,957,536 headIndia191,957,536United States: 94,298,000 headUnited States94,298,000China: 63,271,250 headChina63,271,250Ethiopia: 61,510,258 headEthiopia61,510,258Argentina: 54,793,181 headArgentina54,793,181Pakistan: 46,084,000 headPakistan46,084,000Mexico: 34,820,271 headMexico34,820,271Sudan: 31,223,000 headSudan31,223,000Tanzania: 30,503,161 headTanzania30,503,161Chad: 29,069,601 headChad29,069,601Australia: 26,395,734 headAustralia26,395,734Colombia: 26,021,034 headColombia26,021,034Bangladesh: 24,086,000 headBangladesh24,086,000Nigeria: 20,240,605 headNigeria20,240,605Kenya: 19,635,142 headKenya19,635,142France: 18,613,040 headFrance18,613,040Russia: 18,294,228 headRussia18,294,228Türkiye: 17,042,506 headTürkiye17,042,506Indonesia: 16,432,945 headIndonesia16,432,945Venezuela: 15,898,928 headVenezuela15,898,928Uganda: 14,572,000 headUganda14,572,000Niger: 14,363,592 headNiger14,363,592Paraguay: 13,500,965 headParaguay13,500,965South Sudan: 13,314,145 headSouth Sudan13,314,145Uzbekistan: 12,814,100 headUzbekistan12,814,100South Africa: 12,789,515 headSouth Africa12,789,515Germany: 11,949,090 headGermany11,949,090Mali: 11,758,377 headMali11,758,377Canada: 11,670,000 headCanada11,670,000Uruguay: 11,468,000 headUruguay11,468,000New Zealand: 10,106,803 headNew Zealand10,106,803Myanmar: 9,907,288 headMyanmar9,907,288United Kingdom: 9,892,000 headUnited Kingdom9,892,000Burkina Faso: 9,840,000 headBurkina Faso9,840,000Bolivia: 9,556,000 headBolivia9,556,000Madagascar: 8,605,900 headMadagascar8,605,900Guinea: 7,520,274 headGuinea7,520,274Nepal: 7,376,306 headNepal7,376,306Kazakhstan: 7,150,920 headKazakhstan7,150,920Brazil: 213,809,445 headBrazil213,809,445India: 191,957,536 headIndia191,957,536United States: 94,298,000 headUnited States94,298,000China: 63,271,250 headChina63,271,250Ethiopia: 61,510,258 headEthiopia61,510,258Argentina: 54,793,181 headArgentina54,793,181Pakistan: 46,084,000 headPakistan46,084,000Mexico: 34,820,271 headMexico34,820,271Sudan: 31,223,000 headSudan31,223,000Tanzania: 30,503,161 headTanzania30,503,161Chad: 29,069,601 headChad29,069,601Australia: 26,395,734 headAustralia26,395,734Colombia: 26,021,034 headColombia26,021,034Bangladesh: 24,086,000 headBangladesh24,086,000Nigeria: 20,240,605 headNigeria20,240,605Kenya: 19,635,142 headKenya19,635,142France: 18,613,040 headFrance18,613,040Russia: 18,294,228 headRussia18,294,228Türkiye: 17,042,506 headTürkiye17,042,506Indonesia: 16,432,945 headIndonesia16,432,945Venezuela: 15,898,928 headVenezuela15,898,928Uganda: 14,572,000 headUganda14,572,000Niger: 14,363,592 headNiger14,363,592Paraguay: 13,500,965 headParaguay13,500,965South Sudan: 13,314,145 headSouth Sudan13,314,145Uzbekistan: 12,814,100 headUzbekistan12,814,100South Africa: 12,789,515 headSouth Africa12,789,515Germany: 11,949,090 headGermany11,949,090Mali: 11,758,377 headMali11,758,377Canada: 11,670,000 headCanada11,670,000Uruguay: 11,468,000 headUruguay11,468,000New Zealand: 10,106,803 headNew Zealand10,106,803Myanmar: 9,907,288 headMyanmar9,907,288United Kingdom: 9,892,000 headUnited Kingdom9,892,000Burkina Faso: 9,840,000 headBurkina Faso9,840,000Bolivia: 9,556,000 headBolivia9,556,000Madagascar: 8,605,900 headMadagascar8,605,900Guinea: 7,520,274 headGuinea7,520,274Nepal: 7,376,306 headNepal7,376,306Kazakhstan: 7,150,920 headKazakhstan7,150,920
head. Source: FAOSTAT, Production: Crops and livestock products (QCL): Cattle, stocks, head (item 866, element 5111). Retrieved 2026-10-12.

Full ranking

RankCountries2018
head		Change on 2017
1Brazil213,809,445-0.6%
2India Estimated191,957,536+0.8%
3United States94,298,000+0.7%
4China Estimated63,271,250+2.3%
5Ethiopia61,510,258+1.9%
6Argentina54,793,1810%
7Pakistan46,084,000+3.8%
8Mexico34,820,271+1.6%
9Sudan31,223,000+1%
10Tanzania Estimated30,503,161+6.2%
11Chad29,069,601+5.3%
12Australia26,395,734+0.8%
13Colombia26,021,034+7%
14Bangladesh24,086,000+0.6%
15Nigeria Estimated20,240,605+0.9%
16Kenya19,635,142+7.1%
17France18,613,040-1.8%
18Russia18,294,228-0.3%
19Türkiye17,042,506+6.9%
20Indonesia16,432,9450%
21Venezuela15,898,928-1%
22Uganda14,572,000+2.7%
23Niger14,363,592+6%
24Paraguay13,500,965-2.3%
25South Sudan13,314,145+12.5%
26Uzbekistan12,814,100+2.8%
27South Africa12,789,515-1.3%
28Germany11,949,090-2.7%
29Mali11,758,377+3%
30Canada11,670,000+1.4%
31Uruguay11,468,000-2.3%
32New Zealand10,106,803-0.4%
33Myanmar9,907,288-43.9%
34United Kingdom9,892,000-1.1%
35Burkina Faso9,840,000+2%
36Bolivia9,556,000+2.7%
37Madagascar8,605,900-16.6%
38Guinea7,520,274+5.5%
39Nepal7,376,306+0.4%
40Kazakhstan7,150,920+5.7%
41Ireland6,593,490-10.5%
42Spain6,510,590+0.7%
43Italy6,311,160+6.1%
44Poland6,183,300+0.7%
45Cameroon Estimated5,809,072-0.2%
46Vietnam5,802,907+2.6%
47Peru5,575,483+0.7%
48Zimbabwe Estimated5,320,047-0.2%
49Iran Estimated5,273,236+8.1%
50Afghanistan Estimated5,187,636+4.2%
51Nicaragua Estimated5,098,002+1.4%
52Angola Estimated4,943,060-0.7%
53Somalia Estimated4,789,337-0.2%
54Thailand Estimated4,643,381-0.8%
55Central African Republic Estimated4,577,997+2.9%
56Mongolia4,380,879-0.2%
57Egypt4,379,000-0.2%
58Belarus4,340,400-0.5%
59Ecuador4,056,796-3.2%
60Guatemala Estimated3,920,768+1.9%
61Japan3,842,000+0.5%
62Cuba3,808,400-1.5%
63Zambia3,714,667-0.1%
64Netherlands3,690,000-8.4%
65Senegal3,627,858+1.1%
66Ukraine3,530,800-4.1%
67South Korea3,520,886+2.7%
68Morocco3,441,000+2.3%
69Dominican Republic Estimated3,004,496+0.1%
70Chile Estimated2,991,891+3.5%
71Cambodia Estimated2,861,275-0.4%
72Namibia Estimated2,832,287-4%
73Honduras Estimated2,828,314+0.5%
74Philippines2,553,937+0.2%
75Azerbaijan2,482,627+0.3%
76Benin2,462,000+2.6%
77Belgium2,398,090+0.5%
78Turkmenistan2,393,722+0.5%
79Mozambique2,381,894+22.1%
80Tajikistan2,327,531+0.4%
81Eritrea Estimated2,116,621+0.2%
82Laos2,040,907+2.9%
83Romania1,977,200-3.5%
84Iraq1,938,649+2.1%
85Ghana1,922,000+1.1%
86Austria1,912,810-2.1%
87Mauritania Estimated1,880,390+0.4%
88Algeria1,816,280-4.2%
89Côte d’Ivoire1,694,873+1.7%
90Malawi1,655,517+9.8%
91Portugal1,632,420-2.3%
92Kyrgyzstan1,627,296+3.3%
93Costa Rica1,582,179+6.8%
94Panama1,558,400+2.3%
95Switzerland1,543,345-0.1%
96Denmark1,530,000-1%
97Haiti Estimated1,518,366+0.7%
98Yemen1,503,452-10.1%
99Sweden1,435,450-0.9%
100Czechia1,365,240-3.9%
101Rwanda1,293,768+10.9%
102Democratic Republic of the Congo1,144,766+5.9%
103Burundi1,110,936+3.1%
104Sri Lanka1,110,740+11%
105Botswana Estimated1,060,563-3.6%
106Georgia909,700-5.5%
107Hungary885,000+3.9%
108Norway881,991-0.4%
109Serbia878,336-2.3%
110Finland859,380-3.8%
111Syria766,642-8%
112El Salvador740,287-16.4%
113Guinea-Bissau Estimated711,496+1.3%
114Malaysia676,686-3.9%
115Lithuania653,500-5.9%
116Tunisia594,500-8%
117Armenia590,585-9.9%
118North Korea576,0000%
119Sierra Leone564,928+3.3%
120Israel546,200+7.3%
121Bulgaria542,120-2.8%
122Greece542,000-11.2%
123Eswatini501,643-1.9%
124Saudi Arabia477,255+30.8%
125Slovenia476,810-2.4%
126Albania467,318-1.7%
127Lesotho453,297-1.8%
128Togo453,088+0.5%
129Slovakia438,860-1.6%
130Bosnia and Herzegovina438,006-1.5%
131Croatia414,000-8.2%
132Oman396,913+2%
133Latvia395,330-4.1%
134Bhutan368,487+4.2%
135Gambia Estimated346,860-12.5%
136Republic of the Congo Estimated337,311-0.3%
137Djibouti Estimated308,241+0.5%
138North Macedonia256,181+0.4%
139Estonia251,900+0.4%
140Puerto Rico234,250-2%
141Timor-Leste Estimated232,814+2.2%
142Libya225,140+10.3%
143Luxembourg194,390-3.9%
144Moldova167,423-8.2%
145Jamaica Estimated160,0000%
146Taiwan145,095+0.8%
147Guyana Estimated103,792-3.4%
148United Arab Emirates Estimated103,361-2.7%
149Belize Estimated101,444+1.6%
150Papua New Guinea Estimated92,405-0.3%
151Vanuatu Estimated90,000-10%
152Fiji89,490+3.5%
153Lebanon86,392+1.4%
154New Caledonia Estimated81,555-2.1%
155Iceland81,385+0.6%
156Jordan76,406+1.2%
157Montenegro72,949-1.2%
158Cyprus70,820+5.9%
159Comoros Estimated51,197+0.5%
160Palestine Estimated46,833+14.8%
161Samoa Estimated42,796-8.4%
162Liberia Estimated42,494-0.3%
163Gabon Estimated39,143-0.5%
164Qatar38,165+52.9%
165Trinidad and Tobago Estimated34,709-1.5%
166Suriname34,341-4.6%
167Cape Verde29,558-0.1%
168Kuwait29,077-5.1%
169Micronesia Estimated16,995+0.6%
170Solomon Islands Estimated15,074+0.1%
171Malta14,120-0.5%
172Dominica Estimated13,893-0.1%
173Tonga Estimated12,005+0.3%
174Barbados Estimated10,975+0.2%
175Saint Lucia Estimated10,634-0.8%
176French Polynesia Estimated8,074+6.2%
177Bahrain7,000+1.5%
178Grenada Estimated6,218+0.6%
179Equatorial Guinea Estimated5,394+0.5%
180Antigua and Barbuda Estimated4,570-8.6%
181Mauritius3,985+4.5%
182Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Estimated3,680+4.2%
183Saint Kitts and Nevis Estimated2,0000%
184Faroe Islands1,873-1.2%
185Hong Kong Estimated1,571-0.2%
186São Tomé and Príncipe1,407+2.3%
187Bahamas Estimated750-0.1%
188Brunei681+4.6%
189Seychelles Estimated362+24.8%
190Cook Islands Estimated224+0.4%
191Singapore Estimated184-2.6%
192Niue Estimated1130%

Other periods

About this ranking

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.

Every value in the ranking comes from the same publisher and the same period, so the countries are compared on one definition. 4 countries with data in other periods have no value for 2018 and are left out rather than filled from another source. Equal values share a rank.

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) (Countries by number of cattle, 2018) [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), Countries by number of cattle, 2018. 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/rankings/cattle-population/countries?period=2018. 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). Countries by number of cattle, 2018. 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/rankings/cattle-population/countries?period=2018.

Harvard

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) Production: Crops and livestock products (QCL): Cattle, stocks, head (item 866, element 5111), Countries by number of cattle, 2018 [Dataset]. Available at: https://bulks-faostat.fao.org/production/Production_Crops_Livestock_E_All_Data_%28Normalized%29.zip, via Invokely: https://invokely.ai/rankings/cattle-population/countries?period=2018 (Accessed: 12 October 2026).

BibTeX
@misc{food_countries_by_number_of_2018,
  author = {{Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations}},
  title = {{Production: Crops and livestock products (QCL): Cattle, stocks, head (item 866, element 5111): Countries by number of cattle, 2018}},
  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/rankings/cattle-population/countries?period=2018. 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): Countries by number of cattle, 2018
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/rankings/cattle-population/countries?period=2018
Y2  - 2026/10/12
N1  - Accessed via Invokely, https://invokely.ai/rankings/cattle-population/countries?period=2018.
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

Which country has the highest number of cattle?

Brazil, with 213,809,445 head in 2018, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Which country has the lowest number of cattle?

Niue, with 113 head in 2018.

Where does this ranking come from?

Every value comes from one source and one period, so the places are comparable: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Production: Crops and livestock products (QCL): Cattle, stocks, head (item 866, element 5111). Retrieved 2026-10-12. 4 countries have no value for 2018 and are not ranked.

Number of cattle: other rankings

Countries: more rankings