Türkiye’s population of single-hoofed animals has declined sharply over the past two decades, reflecting the impact of technological transformation in agriculture and transportation, according to data released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat).
TurkStat figures show that the number of horses, donkeys and mules, animals that have historically played a vital role in rural livelihoods, farming activities and transport, has fallen significantly nationwide.
Over the past 20 years, the horse population has decreased by 68% to 65,339, the number of donkeys has dropped by 81% to 60,332, and the mule population has declined by 83% to 12,398.
In 1991, Türkiye had a total of 1,631,144 horses, donkeys and mules. This figure fell sharply to 608,845 by 2006, underlining the long-term downward trend. Twenty years ago, the country recorded 204,352 horses, 329,475 donkeys and 75,018 mules. By 2016, these numbers had declined to 120,040 horses, 151,439 donkeys and 38,229 mules, before falling further to current levels.
The data indicate that mechanization in agriculture, improvements in road infrastructure and the widespread use of motorized vehicles have reduced reliance on single-hoofed animals, particularly in rural and mountainous areas where they were once indispensable.
Despite the sharp decline in these animal populations, Türkiye’s overall livestock numbers have increased markedly. According to TurkStat, the total number of live animals rose from 43,232,086 in 2006 to 75,583,303 last year. This growth has been driven mainly by increases in cattle and small ruminants.
The data show that Türkiye currently has 17,544,200 cattle and 164,785 water buffalo. The number of sheep stands at 46,688,813, while the goat population has reached 11,185,505. Among poultry, the number of turkeys is recorded at 3,192,000, ducks at 389,000 and geese at 1,264,000.
TurkStat also reported that last year the camel population stood at 1,055, while the number of pigs was recorded at 1,388.
