How many cattle are in the world? The global live cattle population amounted to about 1.57 billion heads in 2023, up from approximately 1.51 million in 2021. Cows as livestock The domestication of cattle began as early as 10,000 to 5,000 years ago. From ancient times up to the present, cattle are bred to provide meat and dairy. Cattle are also employed as draft animals to plow the fields or transport heavy objects. Cattle hide is used for the production of leather, and dung for fuel and agricultural fertilizer. In 2022, India was home to the highest number of milk cows in the world. Cattle farming in the United States Cattle meat such as beef and veal is one of the most widely consumed types of meat across the globe, and is particularly popular in the United States. The United States is the top producer of beef and veal of any country worldwide. In 2021, beef production in the United States reached 12.6 million metric tons. Beef production appears to be following a positive trend in the United States. More than 33.07 million cattle were slaughtered both commercially and in farms annually in the United States in 2019, up from 33 million in the previous year.

The cattle population in Russia has continuously declined since 2003, when it was measured at nearly 25.1 million heads. In 2023, the number of cattle livestock in the country reached around 17.1 million heads.

India's cattle inventory amounted to about 308 million in 2023. In comparison, the global cattle population stood at over one billion, India had the highest cattle population followed by Brazil, China and the United States that year.

Where are cattle bred in India?

As one of the leading dairy producers and consumers worldwide, cattle in the south Asian country were bred mainly in the rural areas. However, its population was spread unevenly across the vast land. Uttar Pradesh ranked first in terms of milk production, followed by Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh in 2023.

Contextualizing the holiness of the Indian cow Considered a sacred animal by Hindus in India, the cow is associated with several gods and goddesses. This deep religious and cultural significance has led to communal tensions. In 2014, the government established the Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM) to conserve and develop indigenous breeds of cows and buffaloes. While the general goal was well-received, it aligns with the underlying Hindu nationalist narrative of the current government.

Forecast: Whole Fresh Cow Milk Producing Population in Japan 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

Number of cattle, by class and farm type, Canada and provinces (head x 1,000). Data are available on an annual basis.

In 2024, there were around 3.7 million dairy cows in Germany. This represents a small decline since 2022. However, in 1950 there were 5.73 million dairy cows. The timeline shows the dairy cow population in Germany from 1950 to 2023.

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In 2024, the cattle population in Germany was 10.63 million. This was a slight decrease compared to 2023. Going further back and comparing to 1900, the cattle population then was 18.9 million. The timeline shows cattle population numbers in Germany from 1990 to 2023.

The table shows the cattle population by county and region every six months [thousands]

This dataset as reported to the Rural Payments Agency contains a list of animal population by breed on 1 January this includes applications received for cattle born in or imported into Great Britain Attribution statement:

This dataset as reported to the Rural Payments Agency contains information on cattle population by breed, sex and country on 1 January 2010. This includes cattle born in or imported into Great Britain. Attribution statement:

Netherlands - Number of dairy cows was 1527.00 Thousand in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Netherlands - Number of dairy cows - last updated from the EUROSTAT on June of 2025. Historically, Netherlands - Number of dairy cows reached a record high of 1794.00 Thousand in December of 2016 and a record low of 1504.00 Thousand in December of 2011.

This graph shows the total number of bovine population in France from 1995 to 2023, by type of cattle, in thousand heads. This shows that total herd exceeded 20 million cattle in 1995, including about 4.7 million suckler cows. In 2023, the number of French cattle cows had decreased to about 17.04 million heads.

This dataset collection contains information about the number of dairy cows by herd size in the country of Finland. The data is sourced from the website of Luke, the Natural Resources Institute Finland. It provides insights into the distribution of dairy cows across different herd sizes. The collection consists of one or more dataset tables, offering detailed statistics on the dairy cow population in Finland. Explore this dataset collection to gain a comprehensive understanding of the dairy cow industry in Finland.

159.5 (Thousand heads) in 2017. Livestock population include all age groups population of livestock of corresponding type. Object - large, medium and small farms. Period - as on the 1st of February.

Greece - Number of dairy cows was 79.50 Thousand in December of 2024, according to the EUROSTAT. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for Greece - Number of dairy cows - last updated from the EUROSTAT on June of 2025. Historically, Greece - Number of dairy cows reached a record high of 144.00 Thousand in December of 2010 and a record low of 79.50 Thousand in December of 2024.

Forecast: Whole Fresh Cow Milk Producing Population in the US 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

This dataset as reported to the Rural Payments Agency contains cattle population and number of farms on 1 June 2006. Attribution statement:

How many cows are in the U.S.? The United States is home to approximately 87.1 million cattle and calves as of 2024, dropping slightly from the 2023 value. Cattle farming in the United States There are over three times more beef cows than milk cows living in the United States. Raising cattle is notoriously expensive, not only in terms of land, feed, and equipment, but also in terms of the environmental impact of consuming beef. Beef and milk have the highest carbon footprints of any type of food in the United States. U.S. milk market The volume of milk produced in the United States has been steadily increasing over the last several years. In 2023, total milk production in the U.S. was about 228.3 billion pounds, up from 192.9 billion pounds in 2010. California is the leading producer of milk of any U.S. state, generating approximately 42 billion pounds of milk in 2022. Wisconsin came in second, producing about 31.9 billion pounds of milk in that year.

Forecast: Whole Fresh Cow Milk Producing Population in India 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!