Pakistan's donkey population crosses 6 million

Pakistan has witnessed a significant increase in its livestock population in the past one year with Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) data showing growth in multiple animal categories.

According to the latest figures, the number of donkeys in the country increased by 109,000, bringing the total population from 5.9 million to 6.047 million.

The buffalo population also saw a notable rise, growing by 1.378 million, up from 46.31 million to 47.688 million. The number of sheep also saw an uptick, increasing by 388,000 to reach 33.119 million from 32.731 million.

Among the various categories, goats recorded one of the largest increases, with their population rising by 2.358 million during the year. Their total numbers grew from 87.035 million to 89.393 million.

Camels showed a modest increase of 14,000, taking their population from 1.163 million to 1.177 million. Horses and mules also saw minor gains; the horse population rose by 1,000 to 383,000, while mules increased by 3,000 to 227,000.

The overall cattle population grew by 2.171 million over the same period, reaching 59.711 million, up from 57.54 million the previous year.