Cattle numbers grow 4.3% while EU herds shrink, as Turkey’s sheep flock reaches nearly four times that of nearest European rival Spain
Turkey extended its lead over European Union countries in livestock numbers in 2025, according to figures from Eurostat and the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK), as cattle, sheep and goat populations across the EU declined even as Turkey’s continued to grow.
EU cattle numbers fell 0.4% year-on-year in 2025, while sheep numbers dropped 2.2% and goat numbers fell 2.5%. France remained the largest cattle producer among EU states with 16.237 million head, followed by Germany with 10.42 million, Spain with 6.3 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.
Turkey’s cattle population, by contrast, rose 4.3% year-on-year to 17.709 million, putting it ahead of every EU member state. Turkey first overtook the EU’s largest producer, France, in 2024, having trailed behind it in 2023, and extended that lead further in 2025. While Turkey’s cattle numbers grew, France’s declined, widening the gap between the two countries from 508,000 head in 2024 to around 1.472 million in 2025.
Turkey’s lead was even more pronounced in sheep and goats. Among EU countries, Spain led in sheep numbers with 12.81 million, followed by Romania with 10.761 million, France with 6.696 million, Greece with 6.439 million, Italy with 5.913 million, Ireland with 3.69 million, Portugal with 2.022 million and Germany with 1.525 million.
Turkey’s total sheep and goat population rose 5.4% to reach 57.874 million, of which sheep alone accounted for 46.689 million — nearly four times the flock of Spain, its closest European rival.
In goats, Greece led EU countries with 2.341 million, followed by Spain with 2.209 million, Romania with 1.467 million, France with 1.372 million, Italy with 987,000 and the Netherlands with 553,000. Turkey’s goat population rose 3.4% to 11.186 million, putting it ahead of every EU country and roughly five times ahead of Greece, its nearest rival.
