UK and EU cow numbers

Updated 10 September 2025

These figures track annual changes in cow numbers in the UK and within the EU. You can also dig deeper into the statistics and have a look at cow numbers by country, and for England, by county.

• As of December 2024, the total number of dairy cows in the UK stood at 2.65 million head, no change to the same point in the previous year, according to data from Defra
• The number of female dairy cattle aged between 12 and 24 months fell by 16,000 head compared to the previous year's value of 579,000
• The number of female cattle aged over 24 months saw a decline, falling by 7,000 head on the year to 228,000
• In December, the milking herd totalled 1.86 million head. This was 21,000 more animals than at the same point in the previous year

Source: Defra

• In 2024 there were 19.2 million dairy cows in the EU. This was -3.5% (-690000) less than in 2023
• Germany had the largest dairy cow population within the EU. Last year, 3.6 million dairy cows were recorded in the nation, which accounted for 18.7% of the total EU dairy population
• Malta continued to be the smallest milk producing nation within the EU, with just 5820 dairy cows recorded in 2024
• The majority of EU countries recorded an annual decline in cow numbers in 2024. Poland recorded the largest loss with -283050 (-12.6%)  fewer animals than in the previous year
• Hungary recorded the largest expansion within the EU last year. The population reached 0.268 million head, up 3000 (1.1%) on the year

Please note, different methods are used for calculating cow numbers in the UK. Cattle Tracing System (CTS) data has been used by Wales since 2004, England since 2005 and Scotland since 2006. Since 2005, Northern Ireland has used APHIS.

This dataset was produced by our Data and Analysis Team. To find out more about the team, please visit the Data and Analysis team page.

If you need any further help, please email Martin, Dorian, Gavin or Esther at datum@ahdb.org.uk

On the "Structure of the agricultural industry in England and the UK at June" page, under "English geographical breakdowns" cow numbers by county breakdowns in England are given in the "local authority" and "regional and county/ unitary authority" downloads.

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