New Zealand’s ratio of sheep to people falls to record low, New Zealand once had 22 sheep per person. Now there are only five.
New Zealand’s sheep-to-human ratio has fallen below five to one, the lowest recorded.
There are many things that make this country, which has just over 5 million people, famous. These include the All Blacks and Jacinda ardern. It also has more sheep than humans.
The flocks are declining, compared to the 1980s peak when there was 22 sheep per person.
Stats NZ reports that the sheep flock in 2022 will be 25.3 million. This is a drop of 400,000 from the previous year.
The first national sheep numbers were recorded in 1850. Stats NZ’s general manager for economic and environmental insights, Jason Attewell said that this is the first time in history the ratio has fallen below five-to-one.
He added that Australia has around three sheep per Aussie, despite the fact that New Zealand only has about three.
The decline in sheep numbers is due to several factors. These include the shift from wool to other synthetic materials, and selling of farmland with their beautiful green grass to be used for forestry.
