Sheep to human ratio in New Zealand lowest in 170 years

New Zealand is famous for having more sheep than people. However, the country's sheep-to-human ratio has fallen below 5:1 for the first time since 1850.

New Zealand used to have enough sheep to support a small flock for every person, with the rate reaching 22 sheep per person in the early 1980s, according to the Guardian. But newly released national data shows the country’s sheep population was 25.3 million in June 2022 – down 400,000 from the previous year. The dramatic decline is thought to be due to a prolonged decline in the international wool market and the emergence of forestry as a more profitable use of land.

Over the past decade, the average export price for New Zealand wool has nearly halved, from $6.74/kg to $3.77. Meanwhile, more sheep farmers are selling their farms or converting to forestry, which has the potential to sell carbon credits, which are now highly profitable. A 2022 independent report by advocacy group Beef and Lamb NZ found that 175,000 hectares of sheep and beef farms have been sold for conversion to forestry since 2017.

T. TRUC

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