24 May 2023 - Ratio of sheep to people in New Zealand drops below five to one for first time in 170 years
New Zealand’s ratio of sheep to humans at lowest point in 170 years
Tess McClure (The Guardian, 23/05/2023)
New Zealand’s ratio of sheep to people has dropped below five to one for the first time since national population records began in the late 1850s.
The vast ovine herds that outnumber human New Zealanders are a long-running joke outside the country; one of a few nuggets of information about New Zealand – alongside its links to The Lord of the Rings and Jacinda Ardern – that is know by the rest of the world.
Sheep, though fewer, still outnumber people in New Zealand
AFP (Inquirer, 23/05/2023)
New Zealand’s sheep outnumber people by fewer than five to one, official figures showed on Monday, clipping their lead over humans to the lowest level since the 1850s.
New Zealanders have far fewer of the woolly grazers than their Australian rivals, said the government body Stats NZ, despite frequently being the butt of their sheep jokes.
Ratio of sheep to people falls below 5:1 for first time since 1850s
Esther Taunton (Stuff, 23/05/2023)
New Zealand’s ratio of sheep to people has fallen below 5:1 for the first time since records began in the 1850s.
Stats NZ’s latest survey of farming production and practices found there were 25.3 million sheep in the national flock last year.