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Sheep Population by Country 2024

Since the dawn of time, sheep have been integral to the human population. Even though the world has come a long way during the past few centuries, sheep are still incredibly important. Therefore, sheep farming is still a very large industry. Even though there are a lot of sheep in the United States, there are numerous other countries that have significantly more sheep. China has more sheep than any other country in the world, with approximately 175 million of them living within its borders. The sheep population in China continues to grow, as the economy continues to expand. China has more than twice as many sheep as the second country on the list.

What Other Countries Have a Lot of Sheep?

There are several other countries that have a large number of sheep as well. Behind China sets Australia. Australia has approximately 75 million sheep living within its borders. India also has a lot of sheep. India is estimated to have approximately 54 million sheep living within its borders. The former Sudan also has a lot of sheep. There are approximately 52 million sheep living within the borders of former Sudan. Even though Iran is closed off, it is estimated that Iran has a lot of sheep as well. Iran is estimated to have approximately 50 million sheep living within its borders. Clearly, sheep can be found all over the world, and they can be found in very large numbers.

What States Have the Most Sheep?

Even though the United States may not be at the top of the list, it still has a lot of sheep. Without a doubt, Texas has more sheep than just about any other country on Earth. It is estimated that Texas has approximately 735,000 sheep, and sheep farming is a major industry in Texas. There are several other states that also have a lot of sheep. For example, California has approximately 570,000 sheep living within its borders, and Colorado is next on the list, with approximately 425,000 sheep. Finally, Wyoming also has a lot of sheep. Wyoming has approximately 340,000 sheep within its borders. Sheep can be found in just about every state in the country, but there are some states that have more than others.

What Are Sheep Used For?

Sheep still play a major role across the world, and sheep are popular because they produce wool. Wool is important because it is used to make clothing. Now, there are lots of different types of fabric that can be used to make clothing, but wool is still popular for a number of reasons. It is relatively inexpensive to make, it can help people stay warm, and it can be dyed in a wide variety of colors. Therefore, even though some people may prefer polyester, wool will continue to be an integral part of the clothing industry, which means sheep will continue to play an important role in the global economy.

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Country
Sheep Population
% of Global Total
China173.1M13.7%
India68.1M5.39%
Australia63.5M5.03%
Nigeria47.7M3.78%
Iran46.6M3.69%
Ethiopia42.9M3.4%
Turkey42.1M3.34%
Sudan40.9M3.24%
Chad38.7M3.06%
United Kingdom35.6M2.59%
Pakistan32.7M2.47%
Algeria31.2M2.45%
Mongolia30.9M2.38%
New Zealand30M2.06%
Kenya26M2.01%
Morocco25.3M1.75%
South Africa25M1.71%
Russia22.1M1.64%
Brazil21.6M1.63%
Mali20.7M1.59%
Uzbekistan20.6M1.49%
Indonesia20.1M1.41%
Kazakhstan19.6M1.41%
Syria18.8M1.27%
Spain17.8M1.22%
South Sudan17.7M1.18%
Argentina16.1M1.15%
Turkmenistan15.4M1.11%
Afghanistan14.6M1.08%
Niger15M1.08%
Somalia14M0.96%
Peru13.6M0.88%
Mauritania13.7M0.88%
Burkina Faso12.1M0.86%
Romania11.1M0.83%
Saudi Arabia11.1M0.75%
Yemen10.8M0.73%
Mexico10.5M0.69%
Greece10.4M0.65%
Tanzania9.4M0.62%
Bolivia9.4M0.6%
Senegal8.3M0.59%
Azerbaijan9.2M0.59%
Libya8.7M0.59%
France7.9M0.58%
Italy7.6M0.56%
Iraq7.5M0.53%
Tunisia7.4M0.5%
Uruguay7.5M0.5%
Kyrgyzstan7.3M0.44%
Ghana7M0.43%
Ireland6.3M0.31%
Tajikistan6.3M0.3%
Cameroon6M0.29%
Egypt5.5M0.24%
Jordan5.5M0.24%
Guinea5.2M0.2%
Eritrea3.9M0.19%
Bangladesh3.8M0.18%
Ivory Coast3.6M0.18%
Norway3M0.18%
Portugal3M0.17%
Uganda2.5M0.16%
United Arab Emirates2.4M0.16%
Chile2.3M0.14%
Togo2.3M0.14%
Lesotho2.2M0.14%
Myanmar2M0.13%
Colombia2.1M0.13%
Serbia2.2M0.13%
Germany1.8M0.12%
Cuba1.8M0.12%
Albania2M0.12%
Namibia1.7M0.11%
Bulgaria1.7M0.1%
Angola1.7M0.09%
Qatar1.6M0.08%
Bosnia and Herzegovina1.6M0.08%
Benin1.5M0.08%
Sierra Leone1.5M0.08%
Hungary1.3M0.07%
DR Congo1.3M0.07%
Madagascar1.2M0.07%
Georgia1M0.07%
Nepal1M0.06%
Canada994K0.06%
Palestine974.7K0.06%
Burundi944K0.06%
Kuwait914.2K0.06%
Netherlands867.6K0.06%
Moldova841.9K0.05%
Croatia806.1K0.05%
Ukraine795.8K0.05%
Armenia766.5K0.05%
Rwanda746.9K0.05%
Oman710K0.05%
North Macedonia725.7K0.05%
Guatemala676.9K0.05%
Venezuela662K0.05%
Guinea Bissau658.8K0.04%
Sweden639.6K0.04%
Israel633.7K0.04%
Ecuador630.6K0.04%
Djibouti629.7K0.04%
Central African Republic606.5K0.03%
Lebanon604.6K0.03%
Iceland527.7K0.03%
Austria501.2K0.03%
Zimbabwe500K0.03%
Malawi496.5K0.03%
Switzerland469.9K0.03%
Paraguay440.4K0.02%
Liberia431.7K0.02%
Slovakia400.7K0.02%
Poland393.8K0.02%
Haiti375.9K0.02%
Zambia366.2K0.02%
Dominican Republic343.6K0.02%
Botswana307K0.02%
Mozambique303.6K0.02%
Gabon294.3K0.02%
Czech Republic277.9K0.02%
Montenegro259.1K0.01%
North Korea257.9K0.01%
Finland239.7K0.01%
Lithuania257.6K0.01%
Guyana225.7K0.01%
Malaysia203.6K0.01%
Slovenia186K0.01%
Latvia171K0.01%
Belarus140.6K0.01%
Faroe Islands140.2K0.01%
Gambia131.9K0.01%
Bahrain124.4K0%
Equatorial Guinea121.2K0%
Thailand91.9K0%
Eswatini89.3K0%
Timor Leste73K0%
Philippines62K0%
Fiji65K0%
Comoros41.5K0%
Cape Verde40.6K0%
Honduras39.8K0%
Belize37.5K0%
Japan32.3K0%
Trinidad and Tobago25K0%
Barbados30.7K0%
Grenada30K0%
Malta18.8K0%
Sri Lanka16.8K0%
Bhutan16.7K0%
Luxembourg13.9K0%
Antigua and Barbuda14.6K0%
Saint Lucia13.8K0%
Saint Kitts and Nevis13.4K0%
Papua New Guinea11.3K0%
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines10.8K0%
Dominica13.2K0%
Nicaragua9.7K0%
Puerto Rico9.3K0%
Bahamas9.5K0%
El Salvador8.1K0%
Suriname8.4K0%
Brunei7.6K0%
Mauritius7.6K0%
Sao Tome and Principe6.7K0%
Costa Rica6.6K0%
New Caledonia6K0%
South Korea5.4K0%
Jamaica5.7K0%
French Polynesia4.6K0%
showing: 171 rows

Which country has the most sheep?

China is home to 13.7% of the world's sheep population, 173.1 million sheep.

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