@timofeyWater buffalo don't belong in cattle rankings, and the FAO is pretty clear about why: they get classified as their own separate category of livestock. Which matters, because these animals are a serious resource across a lot of Asia, pulling milk, meat, draught power and rural livelihoods out of the same animal. Global head count lands at roughly 205 million, and more than 98% of that lives in Asia. India and Pakistan are the two big ones, and their buffalo milk carries a real chunk of the dairy sector. Where the numbers sit: 🇮🇳 India: ~112.0 million 🇵🇰 Pakistan: ~45.0 million 🇨🇳 China: ~31.5 million 🇳🇵 Nepal: ~5.3 million 🇵🇭 Philippines: ~2.8 million 🇻🇳 Vietnam: ~2.1 million 🇲🇲 Myanmar: ~2.1 million 🇪🇬 Egypt: ~1.4 million 🇮🇩 Indonesia: ~1.0 million 🇹🇭 Thailand: ~0.9 million No Top 20 this time, tho. Cattle, pig and poultry got full rankings, buffalo didn't, because the evidence I found doesn't back 20 reliable country figures. Won't make them up. FAO also puts India, Pakistan, China, Nepal and Egypt in the group with the biggest dairy-buffalo populations, and says the species is concentrated overwhelmingly in Asia. Numbers come from FAO/FAOSTAT and FAO buffalo-production resources. These are live animal counts, not yearly meat or milk output. #Animals #FoodAndDrink

@timofeyWater buffalo don't belong in cattle rankings, and the FAO is pretty clear about why: they get classified as their own separate category of livestock. Which matters, because these animals are a serious resource across a lot of Asia, pulling milk, meat, draught power and rural livelihoods out of the same animal. Global head count lands at roughly 205 million, and more than 98% of that lives in Asia. India and Pakistan are the two big ones, and their buffalo milk carries a real chunk of the dairy sector. Where the numbers sit: 🇮🇳 India: ~112.0 million 🇵🇰 Pakistan: ~45.0 million 🇨🇳 China: ~31.5 million 🇳🇵 Nepal: ~5.3 million 🇵🇭 Philippines: ~2.8 million 🇻🇳 Vietnam: ~2.1 million 🇲🇲 Myanmar: ~2.1 million 🇪🇬 Egypt: ~1.4 million 🇮🇩 Indonesia: ~1.0 million 🇹🇭 Thailand: ~0.9 million No Top 20 this time, tho. Cattle, pig and poultry got full rankings, buffalo didn't, because the evidence I found doesn't back 20 reliable country figures. Won't make them up. FAO also puts India, Pakistan, China, Nepal and Egypt in the group with the biggest dairy-buffalo populations, and says the species is concentrated overwhelmingly in Asia. Numbers come from FAO/FAOSTAT and FAO buffalo-production resources. These are live animal counts, not yearly meat or milk output. #Animals #FoodAndDrink