Land, farming and livestock
How many livestock does Somalia have?
Somalia had about 52.9 million camels, cattle, goats and sheep before the 2016/17 drought, according to an FAO study using FSNAU counts: 28.7 million goats, 13.65 million sheep, 6.61 million camels and 3.93 million cattle. The drought cut the total to about 36.1 million. A 2026 report puts the national herd at about 56 million. Counts differ widely by source: for goats, FAOSTAT gives 11.6 million and FSNAU 27.8 million.
The herd before the 2016/17 drought
These are estimates for 2015/16 from an FAO study by Otte and others, built on the 2014 livestock figures of the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit (FSNAU) (FAO Statistics Working Paper 23-37, 2023, Table 1).
| Item | Camels | Cattle | Goats | Sheep | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Animals (million) | 6.61 | 3.93 | 28.70 | 13.65 | 52.89 |
| Live weight (million tonnes) | 2.02 | 0.82 | 0.64 | 0.31 | 3.79 |
| Births a year (million) | 1.31 | 0.99 | 18.14 | 6.99 | 27.43 |
| Deaths a year (million) | 0.54 | 0.36 | 7.85 | 2.94 | 11.69 |
| Animals that can be sold a year (million) | 0.77 | 0.62 | 10.28 | 4.04 | 15.71 |
| Value of those animals (USD billion) | 0.42 | 0.12 | 0.38 | 0.11 | 1.03 |
| Milk that can be taken (million tonnes) | 1.47 | 0.47 | 0.32 | 0.15 | 2.41 |
| Value of that milk (USD billion) | 1.28 | 0.36 | 0.24 | 0.11 | 1.99 |
What the numbers show
- Camels carry the most weight. They make up more than half of all livestock by body weight and by income, even though goats far outnumber them (FAO, 2023).
- Milk is worth more than meat. Herders earn about USD 3 billion a year, two-thirds from milk and one-third from meat, mostly sold as live animals. For camels and cattle, milk is about 75 percent of the income (same source).
- Many animals die even in good years. About 12 million animals die each year, 60 percent of them young animals in their first three or four months. About 2 million of the 22 million breeding females die each year, mostly sheep and goats (same source).
After the drought
The FAO model estimates that the 2016/17 drought cut the herd from 52.9 million to 36.1 million, a fall of 32 percent. Sheep and goats fell by more than 30 percent, camels and cattle by less than 20 percent (FAO, 2023). See Drought and livestock losses.
In July 2026 the African Exponent, citing a World Bank document, put the national herd at about 56 million animals (African Exponent, 29 July 2026).
Exports
In 2024 Somalia exported more than 6.4 million animals: 5.9 million sheep and goats, 291,692 cattle and 212,616 camels (Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025). From 2018 to 2024 exports totalled about 31.5 million animals, about 90 percent of them sheep and goats (African Exponent, 2026). For values, see Livestock exports.
Sources disagree
Every figure above is a model or an estimate. The gap is largest for goats: FAOSTAT reports 11.6 million and FSNAU 27.8 million (FAO, 2023). Camel counts are closer: FAO estimates reported in 2016 gave about 7.2 million (Gulf Times, 2016). See also Camels in Somalia.
Sources
- FAO Statistics Working Paper 23-37, 2023 · doi.org
- African Exponent, 29 July 2026 · africanexponent.com
- Central Bank of Somalia, Annual Report 2025 · centralbank.gov.so
- Gulf Times, 2016 · gulf-times.com
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Where this matters
- Burco (Burao) and TogdheerTogdheer is the northern region around Burco (Burao), with about 894,874 people including Buuhoodle.
- Boosaaso (Bosaso) and BariBari is Puntland's north-east region, with the port city of Bosaso (Boosaaso) as its capital and about 1.28 million people.
- Gaalkacyo (Galkayo) and MudugMudug is a region of central Somalia with about 1.5 million people, split between Puntland in the north and Galmudug in the south.
- Beledweyne (Belet Weyne) and HiiraanHiiraan is a region of Hirshabelle State on the Shabelle river, with Beledweyne as its capital and about 505,000 to 598,000 people.
- Baydhabo (Baidoa) and BayBay is a farming region in South West State, with Baidoa (Baydhabo) as its main city and about 1.25 to 1.8 million people.
- Garbahaarrey (Garbaharey) and GedoGedo is the south-western region on the borders with Kenya and Ethiopia, with Garbahaarrey as its capital and about 1 million people.
- Kismaayo (Kismayo) and Lower JubaLower Juba is the far southern region on the border with Kenya, with the port city of Kismayo (Kismaayo) as its capital and about 1.2 million people.
Same era
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- Birmingham (Somali diaspora)About 17,000 to 21,600 Somalis live in Birmingham (Census 2021), mostly in Nechells, Newtown, Small Heath and Alum Rock. History, work, health and ties home.
- Bristol (Somali diaspora)9,167 people in Bristol identified as Somali or Somalilander in Census 2021, the city's largest minority group. Where they live, work, housing, leaders and ties home.
- Calgary, Alberta, Canada2,845 people of Somali origin lived in Calgary at the 2021 Census, plus 890 in Brooks. How they came, who serves them and what they face.
- Denmark (Somali diaspora)21,885 people of Somali origin lived in Denmark in 2026, half born there. Numbers, history, work, permit reviews, and ties home.
- DjiboutiAbout 13,900 refugees from Somalia live in Djibouti (Aug 2026): numbers since 1990, Ali Addeh, Holl-Holl, the 2017 refugee law, Arta 2000 and 2025 returns.
Keep reading
- Pastoralism in Somalia: how herding worksSomali pastoralism in facts: how many people herd, what they earn, milk and meat, seasons and movement, herd splitting, risks from drought and disease, and the move to towns.
- Camels in Somalia: the world's largest herdCamels in Somalia in facts: herd size, share of the world's camels, camel milk, exports to the Gulf, the 2016 to 2018 export fall at Berbera, and the first camel milk yoghurt factory.
- Blackheaded Somali sheep: the breed behind the livestock tradeThe Blackheaded Somali sheep: what it looks like, where it is kept, why it suits dry land, its role in exports through Berbera and Bosaso, and the breeds descended from it.
- Cattle in Somalia: Boran and the Somali breedsCattle in Somalia: numbers, where they are kept, the Boran breed and the Somali Boran, the large red cattle traded to Kenya, cattle exports and milk.
- The Somali goat: breed, milk and tradeThe Somali goat in facts: what it looks like, where it is kept, milk yield in drought, meat exports with sheep, and what DAD-IS records about the breed.
- The camel milk trade: from herds to city marketsCamel milk in Somalia: how much is produced and what it is worth, the abakaar women traders who supply Mogadishu, seasons and prices, milk 'tourism', and new dairies and yoghurt.