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Italian Dairy Cow Population
This page provides with data referring to the dairy cow population. To note that Dairy cows account for an important part of the livestock sector in Italy.

The data on the table here below provide, in the given period, with:
  • Heads of cattle
  • Milk yeald (kg) per cow
  • % protein content
  • % fat content

N.B.: The benefits of genetic researches, improved cattle housing hygienic conditions and higher feed quality have a positive influence into the increasing milk yield per cow and as a consequence to the total milk production volume.

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Italy - Milk cows (number of heads)
Region 2021 2022 2023 2024  
number
of heads¹		 number
of heads¹		 number
of heads¹		 kg of milk
per cow²³		 % protein²    % fat²    number
of heads¹		 kg of milk
per cow²³		 % protein²    % fat²    number of heads
± from 2023
Abruzzo 15.768 16.215 16.212 7.979 3,36 3,75 15.268 7.951 3,40 3,76 -5,82%
Basilicata 21.752 24.216 23.483 9.542 3,49 3,92 28.413 9.630 3,47 3,90 +20,99%
Calabria 18.368 19.881 18.951 8.998 3,39 3,80 20.624 9.132 3,44 3,81 +8,83%
Campania 51.421 50.175 44.937 8.800 3,42 3,93 223.851 8.814 3,47 4,04 +398,14%
Emilia-Romagna 255.720 251.677 254.034 9.785 3,42 3,78 235.905 9.897 3,45 3,81 -7,14%
Friuli-Venezia Giulia 30.330 33.921 31.369 9.043 3,42 3,97 31.514 9.171 3,45 3,98 +0,46%
Lazio 42.125 46.132 45.255 9.201 3,44 3,90 90.480 9.660 3,47 3,85 +99,93%
Liguria 929 1.074 1.020 5.405 3,46 3,60 1.317 5.314 3,50 3,75 +29,12%
Lombardia 536.547 579.042 548.186 10.952 3,42 3,92 557.221 11.125 3,46 4,00 +1,65%
Marche 5.892 5.934 6.369 8.317 3,43 3,84 5.862 8.183 3,45 4,02 -7,96%
Molise 8.029 12.037 11.999 7.401 3,39 3,78 10.175 7.392 3,41 3,76 -15,20%
Piemonte 145.243 143.414 140.971 9.858 3,46 3,90 134.689 10.142 3,49 4,00 -4,46%
Puglia 78.839 69.394 70.224 8.777 3,53 3,83 71.073 8.688 3,53 3,84 +1,21%
Sardegna 49.403 46.101 45.322 10.087 3,44 4,13 47.280 10.702 3,49 4,14 +4,32%
Sicilia 104.680 56.859 54.844 7.647 3,36 3,83 48.660 8.908 3,38 3,94 -11,28%
Toscana 15.646 11.862 12.939 9.197 3,45 3,89 11.049 9.070 3,47 3,83 -14,61%
Trentino-Alto Adige 73.993 89.598 90.101 7.649 3,48 4,09 82.662 7.730 3,51 4,14 -8,26%
Umbria 5.971 7.967 8.196 9.706 3,40 3,81 8.105 9.831 3,42 3,78 -1,11%
Valle d'Aosta 18.142 17.782 16.433 3.397 3,30 3,47 14.986 3.364 3,34 3,46 -8,81%
Veneto 131.150 147.847 133.561 9.844 3,44 3,90 124.709 10.037 3,46 3,90 -6,63%
North 1.192.054 1.264.355 1.215.675       1.183.003        
Middle 69.634 71.895 72.759       115.496        
South 348.260 294.878 285.972       465.344        
Italy 1.609.948 1.631.128 1.574.406       1.763.843        
Last update: 2025-07-29
Source: AIA, ISTAT

1) Source ISTAT: figures are representative of the Italian average milk production per cow per year reported at December 1st of each year.
2) Source AIA: figures refer to the period 1st October - 30 September of each year and to the cow population inspected by AIA (Italian Animal Breeders Association) that accounts for 61.30% of the whole dairy cow herds for 2004, 61.01% for 2005, 61.64% for 2006, 60.88 for 2007, 61.20% for 2008, 59.96% for 2009, 65.40% for 2010, 66.22% for 2011, 62.77% for 2012, 61.14% for 2013.
3) "kg of milk per cow" has to be intended as annual average milk production per cow.