# Livestock exports: Somalia's biggest earner

> Somalia's livestock exports in numbers: value and head counts by year, the animals, the buyers, Berbera and Bosaso, the Hajj season, the Rift Valley fever bans, and meat and skins.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/economy/livestock-exports/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## The numbers

| Year | Value | Animals | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $860.8 million | | [The African Exponent, 29 July 2026, citing the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank](https://www.africanexponent.com/how-livestock-became-somalias-first-billion-dollar-export-industry/) |
| 2024 | $950.9 million | More than 6.4 million: 5.9 million sheep and goats, 291,692 cattle and 212,616 camels | [Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025](https://centralbank.gov.so/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Annual-Report_2025.pdf) (value); [The African Exponent](https://www.africanexponent.com/how-livestock-became-somalias-first-billion-dollar-export-industry/) (animals) |
| 2025 | $922.9 million, down 3 percent | More than 5.9 million: over 5.5 million sheep and goats, 222,010 cattle and 193,013 camels | [Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025](https://centralbank.gov.so/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Annual-Report_2025.pdf) |

In 2025 livestock made up about 73 percent of goods exports and about 7 percent of GDP. The Central Bank cites a national herd of about 56 million camels, cattle, sheep and goats, from the Ministry of Livestock's 2020 strategy ([Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025](https://centralbank.gov.so/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Annual-Report_2025.pdf)).

## Buyers and the Hajj

- **Where they go.** Saudi Arabia, [Oman](/en/diaspora/oman/) and the [United Arab Emirates](/en/relations/uae/) are the main buyers. Sales follow the Hajj and Eid al-Adha ([Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025](https://centralbank.gov.so/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Annual-Report_2025.pdf)).
- **The Hajj share.** A 2020 study of [Somaliland](/en/states/somaliland-1991-to-2026/)'s markets says 70 percent of sheep and goat exports leave in the Hajj season, and that buying for the Hajj starts 45 to 60 days before Eid al-Adha. Oman and Yemen are the main buyers of cattle from Berbera ([Musa, Wasonga and Mtimet, Pastoralism journal, 2020](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13570-019-0155-7)).
- **Meat and skins.** The African Exponent reports that, with meat, hides and skins added, 2024 exports passed $1 billion, citing the Somali Development and Reconstruction Bank ([The African Exponent, 2026](https://www.africanexponent.com/how-livestock-became-somalias-first-billion-dollar-export-industry/)). The Central Bank says higher sales of meat, crops and fish made up most of the 2025 fall in live animals ([Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025](https://centralbank.gov.so/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Annual-Report_2025.pdf)).

## The ports

- **Berbera.** Exports through Berbera stopped in 1988 when war reached the north and restarted in 1991. About half the sheep and goats shipped from Berbera come from the Somali region of Ethiopia ([Pastoralism journal, 2020](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13570-019-0155-7)). DP World says more than 4.1 million animals pass through each year, according to The African Exponent ([The African Exponent, 2026](https://www.africanexponent.com/how-livestock-became-somalias-first-billion-dollar-export-industry/)).
- **The other ports:** see [Somalia's seaports](/en/economy/ports/).

## The bans

| When | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| To May 1999 | A 14-month Saudi ban over Rift Valley fever. Afterwards exports rose to 2.17 million sheep and goats by the end of 1999 | [Pastoralism journal, 2020](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13570-019-0155-7) |
| From 19 September 2000 | Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Yemen and the UAE banned Somali animals over Rift Valley fever. The others lifted it after about a year; Saudi Arabia kept it until November 2009. Exports fell from about 2 million head to 50,000 by 2003, and trade moved to Djibouti | [Pastoralism journal, 2020](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13570-019-0155-7) |
| November 2009 | The Saudi ban ended after a Saudi investor set up a private quarantine station in Berbera to check animals before export | [Pastoralism journal, 2020](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13570-019-0155-7) |
| From December 2016 | A third Saudi ban, eased during the Hajj seasons | [Pastoralism journal, 2020](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s13570-019-0155-7) |

## Sources disagree

- **The 2024 value.** The Central Bank gives $950.9 million for 2024 ([Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025](https://centralbank.gov.so/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Annual-Report_2025.pdf)). The African Exponent gives $969.9 million ([The African Exponent, 2026](https://www.africanexponent.com/how-livestock-became-somalias-first-billion-dollar-export-industry/)).
- **The 2025 value.** The same Central Bank report gives $922.9 million (down 3 percent) in its farming chapter and $823 million (down 10 percent) in its national accounts chapter, which values exports differently ([Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025](https://centralbank.gov.so/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Annual-Report_2025.pdf)).

For livestock exporters and other firms, see the [farming, livestock and fishing directory](/en/businesses/farming-livestock-and-fishing-directory/) and [Berbera livestock quarantine companies](/en/businesses/berbera-livestock-quarantine-companies/). For all of Somalia's exports and imports, see [Trade: exports and imports](/en/economy/trade-exports-and-imports/).

---
I want to help with this: email hello@calankii.com. Fix this page: email hello@calankii.com with the page link and your source.