Brazil’s cattle herd in 2024 stood at 238.2 million head, a slight decrease of 0.2% from the historical peak in 2023, but still the second largest since records began in 1974, reported the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).
This is the first annual decline since 2018, when the herd dropped 0.7% year-on-year to 213.5 million head.
The year 2024 saw the highest volume of cattle slaughter under sanitary inspection, and that was the reason for the annual decline. Considering the record slaughter levels in 2025, the cattle herd is expected to fall for the second consecutive year.
