VIII.

Distribution

In 2003 the world sheep population was estimated at 1.03 billion head. Based on numbers, the leading sheep countries, in descending order, were China (173,899,000), Australia (100,100,000), India (62,500,000), Iran (54,000,000), Sudan (48,000,000), New Zealand (39,928,000), United Kingdom (35,253,000), South Africa (25,316,000), Turkey (25,201,000), and Pakistan (24,900,000). The United States had 6,135,000 sheep, less than 1 percent of the world total.

In the United States, the sheep industry is centered in the semiarid western half of the country. In 2003 the leading sheep states were Texas (1,040,000), California (730,000), Wyoming (460,000), Colorado (380,000), and South Dakota (380,000). Other major states were Utah, Montana, Oregon, Idaho, New Mexico, and Iowa.