New Zealand has less than five sheep per capita, which is an all-time low
There are always more sheep than people inside New ZealandBut the ratio is at its lowest since the 1850s: less than five sheep per inhabitant, according to figures published Monday by the General Authority for Statistics.
The number of sheep in the country reached 25.3 million heads in June 2022, a decrease of 400 thousand heads (-2%) compared to the last census, according to a report on domestic agricultural production that is published every five years before. NZ state.
The largest exporter of wool in the world
“In 1982, there were 22 sheep per capita in New Zealand,” the organization recalls. The report continues: “Australia now has three times as many sheep as New Zealand, although the ratio is only three per capita.”
With a population of 5.2 million, New Zealand is one of the world’s largest exporters of wool. Last year, the country sold $284 million (260 million euros) worth of wool abroad.
But high production costs and Falling wool prices It affected herd sizes, which have been steadily declining since the 1980s, when the number of sheep reached 72 million.
“Reader. Travel maven. Student. Passionate tv junkie. Internet ninja. Twitter advocate. Web nerd. Bacon buff.”