Cattle were first domesticated around 10,500 years ago in regions that are now Turkey and the Middle East, from wild aurochs (Bos primigenius), and independently in South Asia, giving rise to the two main types: taurine (Bos taurus) and indicine or zebu (Bos indicus) cattle. Over centuries, cattle spread globally, becoming integral to agriculture for meat, milk, hides, and labor. Today, the top countries raising cattle are Brazil, India, the United States, China, and the European Union. Brazil leads in total cattle numbers, largely for beef production, while India has the largest cattle population, primarily for dairy and draft purposes, influenced by cultural and religious factors. The United States is a major producer of both beef and dairy, with highly industrialized systems, while China and the EU also maintain significant cattle industries to support their large populations and diverse agricultural needs.
Rank | Country | Head |
---|---|---|
1 | Brazil | 224,602,112 |
2 | India | 193,165,740 |
3 | United States of America | 93,789,500 |
4 | Ethiopia | 65,718,708 |
5 | China | 60,522,044 |
6 | Argentina | 53,416,435 |
7 | Pakistan | 51,495,000 |
8 | Mexico | 35,998,615 |
9 | Chad | 33,287,209 |
10 | Sudan | 32,027,868 |
11 | Tanzania | 30,716,518 |
12 | Colombia | 29,301,392 |
13 | Bangladesh | 24,545,000 |
14 | Australia | 24,431,174 |
15 | Kenya | 22,853,225 |
16 | Nigeria | 21,162,929 |
17 | Indonesia | 18,053,710 |
18 | Russia | 18,027,172 |
19 | Turkey | 17,850,543 |
20 | France | 17,330,080 |
21 | Niger | 17,107,271 |
22 | Venezuela | 16,221,020 |
23 | Uganda | 14,624,111 |
24 | Paraguay | 13,919,507 |
25 | South Sudan | 13,612,784 |
26 | Uzbekistan | 13,544,400 |
27 | Mali | 12,848,696 |
28 | South Africa | 12,232,115 |
29 | Uruguay | 11,914,643 |
30 | Canada | 11,057,929 |
31 | Germany | 11,039,660 |
32 | Burkina Faso | 10,400,038 |
33 | Bolivia | 10,385,482 |
34 | Myanmar | 10,300,000 |
35 | New Zealand | 10,150,246 |
36 | United Kingdom | 9,603,000 |
37 | Madagascar | 8,838,476 |
38 | Guinea | 8,826,796 |
39 | Kazakhstan | 8,192,415 |
40 | Nepal | 7,466,841 |
41 | Ireland | 6,649,310 |
42 | Spain | 6,576,300 |
43 | Poland | 6,378,700 |
44 | Vietnam | 6,365,300 |
45 | Italy | 6,280,280 |
46 | Cameroon | 6,229,800 |
47 | Peru | 5,853,660 |
48 | Nicaragua | 5,656,625 |
49 | Iran | 5,343,674 |
50 | Zimbabwe | 5,342,704 |
51 | Angola | 5,189,749 |
52 | Afghanistan | 5,122,077 |
53 | Mongolia | 5,022,225 |
54 | Central African Republic | 4,760,635 |
55 | Thailand | 4,627,914 |
56 | Somalia | 4,435,943 |
57 | Belarus | 4,235,900 |
58 | Guatemala | 4,103,324 |
59 | Ecuador | 4,066,930 |
60 | South Korea | 3,990,257 |
61 | Japan | 3,961,000 |
62 | Zambia | 3,818,846 |
63 | Netherlands | 3,705,000 |
64 | Senegal | 3,678,029 |
65 | Cuba | 3,657,300 |
66 | Morocco | 3,178,876 |
67 | Dominican Republic | 3,058,952 |
68 | Chile | 3,038,122 |
69 | Namibia | 2,950,546 |
70 | Honduras | 2,911,284 |
71 | Ukraine | 2,874,000 |
72 | Egypt | 2,819,413 |
73 | Cambodia | 2,695,963 |
74 | Benin | 2,623,290 |
75 | Philippines | 2,605,262 |
76 | Turkmenistan | 2,545,403 |
77 | Azerbaijan | 2,519,692 |
78 | Tajikistan | 2,363,149 |
79 | Belgium | 2,310,440 |
80 | Laos | 2,258,176 |
81 | Mozambique | 2,219,635 |
82 | Eritrea | 2,128,383 |
83 | Iraq | 2,061,427 |
84 | Malawi | 2,036,980 |
85 | Mauritania | 1,943,940 |
86 | Ghana | 1,929,000 |
87 | Austria | 1,870,100 |
88 | Romania | 1,826,800 |
89 | Cote d Ivoire | 1,786,267 |
90 | Kyrgyzstan | 1,750,467 |
91 | Algeria | 1,734,476 |
92 | Rwanda | 1,678,110 |
93 | Yemen | 1,661,997 |
94 | Portugal | 1,640,650 |
95 | Haiti | 1,518,147 |
96 | Switzerland | 1,513,872 |
97 | Panama | 1,509,900 |
98 | Congo | 1,490,234 |
99 | Denmark | 1,480,000 |
100 | Sweden | 1,389,890 |
101 | Czechia | 1,359,420 |
102 | Costa Rica | 1,306,504 |
103 | Sri Lanka | 1,131,080 |
104 | Botswana | 1,026,589 |
105 | Burundi | 951,177 |
106 | Georgia | 925,800 |
107 | Hungary | 909,900 |
108 | Norway | 901,026 |
109 | Syria | 872,307 |
110 | Serbia | 859,514 |
111 | Finland | 829,980 |
112 | El Salvador | 738,846 |
113 | Sierra Leone | 733,029 |
114 | Guinea-Bissau | 725,226 |
115 | Malaysia | 701,117 |
116 | Saudi Arabia | 700,000 |
117 | Tunisia | 630,409 |
118 | Lithuania | 628,700 |
119 | Eswatini | 614,338 |
120 | Bulgaria | 611,200 |
121 | North Korea | 581,161 |
122 | Armenia | 580,567 |
123 | Greece | 564,000 |
124 | Israel | 530,000 |
125 | Slovenia | 482,620 |
126 | Gambia | 462,099 |
127 | Togo | 455,756 |
128 | Slovakia | 434,090 |
129 | Croatia | 428,000 |
130 | Oman | 421,950 |
131 | Latvia | 393,470 |
132 | Puerto Rico | 362,916 |
133 | Lesotho | 353,746 |
134 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 341,898 |
135 | Congo | 336,834 |
136 | Albania | 336,784 |
137 | Djibouti | 302,116 |
138 | Bhutan | 295,444 |
139 | Estonia | 250,800 |
140 | Timor-Leste | 222,894 |
141 | Libya | 199,605 |
142 | Luxembourg | 187,200 |
143 | North Macedonia | 177,622 |
144 | China Taiwan | 159,122 |
145 | Jamaica | 158,357 |
146 | Moldova | 108,900 |
147 | United Arab Emirates | 104,648 |
148 | Belize | 104,318 |
149 | Guyana | 99,785 |
150 | Vanuatu | 96,818 |
151 | Papua New Guinea | 91,675 |
152 | Lebanon | 86,820 |
153 | Cyprus | 84,610 |
154 | New Caledonia | 82,015 |
155 | Iceland | 80,563 |
156 | Jordan | 78,477 |
157 | Montenegro | 75,912 |
158 | Palestine | 67,760 |
159 | Fiji | 59,905 |
160 | Comoros | 51,077 |
161 | Qatar | 50,721 |
162 | Liberia | 45,340 |
163 | Samoa | 44,474 |
164 | Gabon | 38,877 |
165 | Trinidad and Tobago | 35,845 |
166 | Suriname | 35,602 |
167 | Kuwait | 31,769 |
168 | Cabo Verde | 29,173 |
169 | Micronesia | 18,408 |
170 | Solomon Islands | 15,285 |
171 | Dominica | 14,294 |
172 | Malta | 14,020 |
173 | Tonga | 12,185 |
174 | Barbados | 11,873 |
175 | Saint Lucia | 10,692 |
176 | French Polynesia | 7,535 |
177 | Bahrain | 7,500 |
178 | Equatorial Guinea | 5,467 |
179 | Mauritius | 4,569 |
180 | Grenada | 4,565 |
181 | Antigua and Barbuda | 3,583 |
182 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 3,125 |
183 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 1,978 |
184 | Faroe Islands | 1,809 |
185 | China Hong Kong | 1,579 |
186 | Sao Tome and Principe | 1,392 |
Data from United Nations FAO Stat