Livestock numbers declined in the EU and Greece in 2024
The total livestock population in the European Union declined in 2024 compared to 2023, according to data published by Eurostat on June 26, 2025. The downward trend affects populations of pigs, cattle, sheep, and goats across the EU.
Specifically:
- Pigs numbered 132 million, a 0.5% decrease from 2023.
- Cattle declined by 2.8%, totaling 72 million animals.
- Sheep fell by 1.7% to 57 million.
- Goats dropped by 1.6%, totaling 10 million.
Over a 10-year period (2014–2024), the decline was even more pronounced:
The same trend was recorded in Greece, according to results from the Annual Livestock Surveys by the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT), published on June 25, 2025.
Changes in Greece (2023–2024):
Cattle:
- Population: 595,153 animals (-6.8%)
- Farms: 9,499 (-6.0%)
Pigs:
- Population: 786,156 animals (+1.9%)
- Farms: 4,287 (-11.1%)
- Population: 7,774,172 animals (-2.8%)
- Farms: 52,640 (-2.0%)
Goats:
- Population: 2,576,743 animals (-9.1%)
- Farms: 29,967 (-6.2%)
Animals per Farm (2024):
Cattle: 62.7 animals per farm (-0.8%)
Pigs: 183.4 animals per farm (+14.6%)
Sheep: 147.7 animals per farm (-0.8%)
Goats: 86.0 animals per farm (-3.1%)
Total Livestock Units (LSU) in Greece:
Total: 1,660,009 LSUs (-4.9%)
Cattle: 423,935 LSUs
Pigs: 200,983 LSUs
Sheep: 777,417 LSUs
Goats: 257,674 LSUs
The Eurostat data were drawn from the datasets apro_mt_lspig, apro_mt_lscatl, apro_mt_lssheep, and apro_mt_lsgoat. National estimates were based on ELSTAT’s Annual Livestock Surveys.
