Lamb meat sits within a wider sheep-meat market that also includes mutton. Global sheep-meat production reached 11,532,801 tonnes in 2023, up from 9,079,086 tonnes in 2013. The figures below separate measured results from forecasts and keep each market’s geography and measurement period explicit.
Table of contents
- Global sheep-meat output
- The UK flock and production
- UK supply, trade, and prices
- Australia’s lamb market
- The U.S. flock and lamb crop
- U.S. supply and outlook
Global sheep-meat output
FAOSTAT records global sheep-meat production at 11,532,801 tonnes in 2023, compared with 9,079,086 tonnes in 2013. Over that decade, production increased 27%. These are global sheep-meat figures, so they provide context for lamb without representing lamb alone. FAO, Livestock primary (Global, National - Annual)
The long-run U.S. record shows a very different direction in flock size. U.S. sheep inventory peaked at 51 million head in 1884, then declined to nearly 5.0 million head by 2016. U.S. per-capita lamb and mutton consumption fell from nearly 5 pounds in the 1960s to about 1 pound in the current-period description published in 2026. The historical peak, the 2016 inventory figure, and the consumption comparison describe different periods and should not be treated as a single annual trend. USDA ERS, Sheep, Lamb & Mutton—Sector at a Glance
The UK flock and production
The United Kingdom had 31.017 million sheep and lambs at June 2024. Its female breeding flock totaled 14.882 million head at the same point. During 2024, total home-fed sheep marketings reached 13.361 million head. Clean sheep slaughterings totaled 11.855 million head, while ewe and ram slaughterings totaled 1.506 million head. Agriculture in the United Kingdom 2024, Chapter 8: Livestock
Average dressed carcass weight helps distinguish animal counts from meat output. In 2024, the average UK dressed carcass weight was 20 kilograms for clean sheep and 27 kilograms for ewes and rams. UK home-fed mutton and lamb production was 277 thousand tonnes, valued at £1,764 million. Production decreased 6.5% from 2023 to 2024, even as the value of production rose 13% over the same period. Agriculture in the United Kingdom 2024, Chapter 8: Livestock
| UK measure | Result | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Sheep and lambs | 31.017 million head | June 2024 |
| Female breeding flock | 14.882 million head | June 2024 |
| Clean sheep slaughterings | 11.855 million head | 2024 |
| Home-fed mutton and lamb production | 277 thousand tonnes | 2024 |
| Value of production | £1,764 million | 2024 |
UK supply, trade, and prices
The UK’s average finished-sheep price was 693 pence per kilogram deadweight in 2024. That compares with 578 pence per kilogram deadweight in 2023 and 568 pence in 2022. The 2024 price therefore sits above both earlier supplied annual averages, but the source reports the figures as annual averages rather than a specific retail price for a cut of lamb. Agriculture in the United Kingdom 2024, Chapter 8: Livestock
UK trade figures show both domestic production and international movement. In 2024, imports from the European Union supplied 11 thousand tonnes of mutton and lamb, while imports from the rest of the world supplied 77 thousand tonnes. UK exports totaled 81 thousand tonnes to the EU and 5 thousand tonnes to the rest of the world. The UK’s total new supply of mutton and lamb was 280 thousand tonnes, and home-fed production represented 99% of new UK supply for use in the country. Agriculture in the United Kingdom 2024, Chapter 8: Livestock
Clean sheep slaughterings fell 6.7% from 2023 to 11.9 million head in 2024, with the rounded figure consistent with the detailed 11.855 million result. UK exports of mutton and lamb declined 11% from 2023 to 2024. Together, these figures describe a 2024 market with lower slaughterings and exports, higher average finished-sheep prices, and a reported £1,764 million production value. Agriculture in the United Kingdom 2024, Chapter 8: Livestock
Australia’s lamb market
Australia’s 2024–25 figures are forecasts, not completed production results. Sheep-meat production was forecast at 942 thousand tonnes carcass weight, including a record 654 thousand tonnes of lamb and 288 thousand tonnes of mutton. Sheep-meat exports were forecast at a record 657 thousand tonnes, including 413 thousand tonnes of lamb exports and 245 thousand tonnes of mutton exports. Australian Government, Industry spotlight: sheep meat
| Australia measure | 2024–25 forecast |
|---|---|
| Total sheep-meat production | 942 thousand tonnes carcass weight |
| Lamb production | 654 thousand tonnes carcass weight |
| Mutton production | 288 thousand tonnes |
| Total sheep-meat exports | 657 thousand tonnes |
| Lamb exports | 413 thousand tonnes |
| Mutton exports | 245 thousand tonnes |
Domestic demand remains part of the Australian picture. The domestic market consumes approximately 35% of total sheep-meat production, and lamb accounts for 95% of Australia’s domestic sheep-meat distribution. Sheep-meat consumption is roughly 6 kilograms per person annually, according to the publication’s 2024 description. Domestic expenditure on lamb was approximately A$3.4 billion in 2022, compared with A$50 million spent on mutton. Australian Government, Industry spotlight: sheep meat
The average Australian lamb saleyard price was forecast at 770 cents per kilogram carcass weight in 2024–25, compared with 584 cents in 2023–24. Because the 770-cent figure is a forecast and the comparison figure is identified as 2023–24 actual, it should be read as a forecast-versus-actual comparison rather than two completed years. Australian Government, Industry spotlight: sheep meat
The U.S. flock and lamb crop
On January 1, 2026, U.S. sheep and lamb inventory totaled 4.99 million head. Breeding sheep inventory totaled 3.61 million head, including 2.85 million ewes one year old and older. Market sheep and lambs totaled 1.38 million head. USDA NASS, Sheep and Goats 01/30/2026
Market lambs represented 94% of U.S. market sheep and lamb inventory on January 1, 2026; market sheep represented the remaining 6%. The U.S. lamb crop was 3.03 million head in 2025, and the lambing rate was 105 lambs per 100 ewes one year old and older. The inventory date and the lamb-crop year are different reference periods. USDA NASS, Sheep and Goats 01/30/2026
The largest state inventories listed in the supplied USDA report were 700 thousand sheep and lambs in Texas, 505 thousand in California, 410 thousand in Colorado, 280 thousand in Wyoming, and 275 thousand in Utah, all on January 1, 2026. Those five state figures are inventories, not slaughter or meat-production totals. USDA NASS, Sheep and Goats 01/30/2026
U.S. supply and outlook
The USDA Economic Research Service describes U.S. lamb and mutton imports as accounting for more than 50% of U.S. supply. Australia supplies about 75% of U.S. lamb and mutton imports, while New Zealand supplies about 24%. These shares are from a current-period description published in 2026 and are not presented as a dated customs-year table. USDA ERS, Sheep, Lamb & Mutton—Sector at a Glance
Most U.S. sheep meat is sold as lamb from animals under 14 months old. The same USDA overview reports that U.S. per-capita lamb and mutton consumption is about 1 pound in its current-period description, compared with nearly 5 pounds in the 1960s. USDA ERS, Sheep, Lamb & Mutton—Sector at a Glance
This supply structure matters when interpreting domestic production figures: the U.S. inventory, lamb crop, imports, and consumption measures describe different parts of the market. They should be compared by their stated unit and period, rather than combined into one estimate of retail availability.
USDA’s February 2025 outlook forecast 2025 commercial lamb and mutton production at 134 million pounds. An earlier May 2024 outlook had forecast 2024 commercial lamb and mutton production at 135 million pounds. The May 2024 outlook also forecast U.S. lamb and mutton imports of 320 million pounds for 2024 and 335 million pounds for 2025. These are outlook estimates published at the dates shown, not retrospective claims that the forecast values were later achieved. USDA, Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook: February 2025; USDA, Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook: May 2024