Turkey Surpasses EU Countries in Livestock Population

September 20, 2026 · AA Tarım & Ekonomi

Turkey's livestock population in 2025, with 17.7 million cattle and 57.8 million small ruminants, has significantly outpaced European Union countries.

According to Eurostat and TÜİK data, Turkey maintained its leadership in cattle population in 2025, surpassing European Union countries. While the overall cattle population in the EU decreased by 0.4% year-on-year, Turkey saw a 4.3% increase, reaching 17.709 million. Within the Union, France ranked first with 16.237 million, followed by Germany with 10.420 million, Spain with 6.300 million, Ireland with 6.284 million, Poland with 6.143 million, Italy with 5.815 million, the Netherlands with 3.549 million, Belgium with 2.127 million, and Austria with 1.815 million. The gap between Turkey and its closest competitor, France, widened to 1.472 million.

The gap between Turkey and EU countries is also widening significantly in small ruminant farming. During the 2025 period, while the sheep population in the EU decreased by 2.2%, Turkey's total small ruminant population increased by 5.4% to 57.874 million. Turkey's sheep count was recorded at 46.689 million. In contrast, Spain, which leads in sheep population within the EU, remained at 12.810 million. Spain was followed by Romania with 10.761 million, France with 6.696 million, Greece with 6.439 million, Italy with 5.913 million, Ireland with 3.690 million, Portugal with 2.022 million, and Germany with 1.525 million.

While the number of goats across the EU showed a 2.5% decrease, Turkey has solidified its top position in goat farming. According to TÜİK data, Turkey's total goat population increased by 3.4% to 11.186 million head. Among EU countries, Greece, which ranks first in goat numbers, recorded a population of 2.341 million. Greece was followed by Spain with 2.209 million, Romania with 1.467 million, France with 1.372 million, Italy with 987 thousand, and the Netherlands with 553 thousand. With these figures, Turkey has nearly quintupled its closest competitor, Greece, in goat numbers.

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