Brazil has more cattle than people

In 2021, the bovine herd broke a record in Brazil. According to the survey released last week by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the country closed last year with 224.6 million head of cattle – the sum between ox and cow.

The number in question represents a record, surpassing the 218.2 million heads recorded in 2016. More than that, the numbers show more ox and cows than people in Brazil.

According to the same IBGE projection, Brazil has an estimated population of 215.1 million. That is: in the country, human beings are 4.22% less than the total number of oxen and cows.

For the increase in the Brazilian bovine herd, the analyst responsible for the IBGE research, Mariana Oliveira, observes that two factors occurred in the past. She states that 2021 was “marked by the retention of females for calf production.

Besides, there was a drop in slaughtering due to the lack of animals prepared for the procedure.

MATO GROSSO STATE LEADS CATTLE HERD RANKING

Like in the 2020 survey, Mato Grosso continued in the first position in the list of the country’s largest bovine herds. According to the mapping, the Midwestern state had, in 2021, 32,424,958 head of cattle.

The ratio of cattle and cow vs. people in Mato Grosso lands calls attention. In the population ranking, Mato Grosso occupies only 16th place, with an estimated 3,567,234 people.

In short, the local cattle herd is more than 900 times larger than the number of humans.

Besides Mato Grosso, the top five cattle herds in Brazil are composed of:

1. Mato Grosso do Sul – 18,608,503;
2. Minas Gerais – 22,856,413;
3. Pará – 23,921,005;
4. Goiás – 24,293,954.

FIVE CITIES WITH MORE OX AND COWS IN BRAZIL

Although Mato Grosso leads by far the bovine herd in Brazil, the city with the most cattle and cows is in another state.

In the dispute between municipalities, the champion is São Félix do Xingu in Pará. There, the year 2021 closed with 2,468,764 heads.

The first five positions are completed with Corumbá (Mato Grosso do Sul), Marabá (Pará), Porto Velho (Rondônia), and Cáceres (Mato Grosso).

With information from Canal Rural