Livestock

Livestock numbers

In general, livestock numbers have been increasing ever since pre-industrial times. Growing population numbers resulted in an ever increasing demand for meat and dairy products. Although the total numbers declined dramatically during the First and Second World War in most countries involved, but, especially in the developed regions the numbers of pigs and cattle have increased considerably ever after. Other dramatic historical events like the Russian revolution of 1917 and the Chinese Cultural Revolution of 1964 left their mark on livestock numbers. Note that the number of horses decreased in most developed regions over time, due to the switch from horsepower to tractors/cars in the agricultural sector. 

• Download table: Lifestock numbers 1890-2000 (xls, 68Kb) 

Not only the absolute livestock numbers increased over time, but also the productivity per animal did. Due to better technology, management and feed the output per animal (meat, milk) has improved considerably in most developed regions.

References

• References