Cattle Population in Ukraine Decreases in 2026
As of February 1, 2026, the total number of cattle in Ukraine is 1 million 724.8 thousand heads, of which 958.7 thousand are cows. According to the State Statistics Service, there is a continued reduction in the cattle population in both the household and industrial sectors.
This is reported by AgroReview
Dynamics of Changes in Cattle Population in Industrial and Private Sectors
Compared to the beginning of 2026, the number of cattle in the country has decreased by 79.3 thousand heads, which is equivalent to 4% of the total population. The number of cows during this period has decreased by 63.6 thousand heads, or 6%. In comparison to the same date last year, the cattle population has decreased by 304 thousand heads (-15%), and the number of cows has decreased by 197 thousand heads (-17%). Approximately 55% of all animals are kept in industrial enterprises, while 45% are in household farms.
The largest reduction is observed in private households, especially in the eastern regions, where livestock farming is complicated by military actions and increased risks for farms. Keeping cows in rural areas is becoming increasingly difficult, while the industrial sector is currently maintaining its positions and is not showing a decrease in population.
Structure and Reasons for Changes in Different Sectors
In the industrial sector, there are currently 952.2 thousand heads of cattle, which is 4.5 thousand more (+0.47%) compared to January 1, 2026. The number of cows in industrial enterprises is 395.9 thousand heads, which is 9.6 thousand more (+2.5%) over the last month. The increase in population in this segment is related to the growth in the number of heifers on dairy farms in the fourth quarter of 2025.
At the same time, the decline in purchase prices for raw milk is leading to losses in dairy farming, which hinders investments in further development of the industry and an increase in population.
In the household sector, there are 772.6 thousand heads of cattle, which is 84 thousand less (-10%) compared to January 1, 2026. The number of cows in private households at the beginning of February was 562.8 thousand heads — this is 73 thousand less (-12%) than a month ago. Over the past year, the reduction in the cattle population in household farms amounted to 340 thousand heads (-31%), and the number of cows decreased by 216 thousand heads (-28%).
According to the State Statistics Service, in 13 regions of Ukraine, an increase in the number of cows has been recorded in agricultural enterprises. The largest growth was observed in Lviv region (+22%), Rivne (+19%), Volyn (+16%), Chernihiv (+10%), Ternopil (+9%), Kyiv (+8%), Khmelnytskyi (+8%), Zhytomyr (+6%), Cherkasy (+3%), Vinnytsia (+2%), Ivano-Frankivsk (+2%), Poltava (+2%), and Mykolaiv region (+1%) compared to February 1, 2025.
“The reduction of the cattle population is a long-standing problem for Ukraine. Since 1991, the number of cows has decreased by 26 million,” stated the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, Vitaliy Koval. “In 2024, the cattle population was only 2 million 300 thousand, while in 1991 it was 28 million.”
Regionally, approximately 53% of the total cattle population is kept in the farms of the following regions:
- Poltava region – 162.60 thousand heads
- Khmelnytskyi region – 145.20 thousand heads
- Vinnytsia region – 141.70 thousand heads
- Cherkasy region – 124.20 thousand heads
- Chernihiv region – 123.80 thousand heads
- Odesa region – 115.70 thousand heads
- Kyiv region – 103.40 thousand heads