UK and EU cow numbers

Updated 12 February 2026

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 June 2025, the total number of dairy cows in the UK stood at 2.62 million head, 10,000 head (-0.4%) less than  at 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 6,000 head compared to the previous year's value of 564,000
• The number of female cattle aged over 24 months saw a decline, falling by 17,000 head on the year to 209,000
• In June, the milking herd totalled 1.85 thousand head (Figure 1). This was 13,000 more animals than at the same point in the previous year

Table 1. UK female cattle by age and reproductive status, June 2019–June 2025

Source: Defra

Figure 1. UK milking herd (cows aged 24 months and over who have calved), 2014–2025

• 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

Figure 2. Trends in EU dairy cow numbers, 2010–2024

Figure 2 shows the number of dairy cows in two groups of EU member states from 2010 to 2024.

The EU‑14 group (top line in blue) falls from 15.7 million cows in 2010 to 15.6 million in 2011. It then rises to a peak of 16.5 million in 2016, then steadily declines to 14.7 million in 2024.

The EU‑13 group (bottom line in green) shows a consistent downward trend over the same period, falling from about 5.8 million cows in 2010 to  4.5 million in 2024, with a small temporary increase in 2023.

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.

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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