Industry data
Dairy industry statistics
The numbers behind Australian dairying: the milk produced and the states it comes from, the farms and herds that dairy sheds, rotary platforms, tractors and feed systems serve, what milk is made into and where it is exported, what milk is worth at the farm gate, and the businesses and people in the industry. Each figure links to the agency or industry body that published it and shows the period it applies to.
Reviewed 30 October 2026
Key figures
- 8,654.3 million litres of milk produced, as reported by dairy manufacturers to Dairy Australia
- 3,772 registered dairy farms, in a preliminary count
- 345 cows in the average dairy herd
- 4,015,658 thousand dollars value of dairy exports
- 21,989 dairy farms in the earlier year Dairy Australia compares with
Milk production
How much milk Australian dairy farms produce and which states it comes from, from the milk production reports Dairy Australia builds from figures that dairy manufacturers supply. Dairy Australia has reviewed this data and revised past years, so these figures differ from those in earlier publications, including its In Focus report.
8,654.3 million litres
of milk produced, as reported by dairy manufacturers to Dairy Australia
Dairy Australia's revised figure for July 2025 to June 2026. Manufacturers supply the data voluntarily and Dairy Australia may revise it if new data arrives.
Link to this figure1.5%
rise in milk production on the year before
Both years in Dairy Australia's revised series.
Link to this figure2,140.0 million litres
of milk produced in the opening months of the current season
Year to date in the latest monthly report. Up 2.2% on the same months a year earlier.
Link to this figure| State | Milk produced in megalitres |
|---|---|
| Victoria | |
| New South Wales | |
| Tasmania | |
| South Australia | |
| Western Australia | |
| Queensland |
Megalitres, which are millions of litres. Every state in the report. The report has no separate figures for the territories.
Link to this chart| Year | Milk produced in megalitres |
|---|---|
| 2020-21 | |
| 2021-22 | |
| 2022-23 | |
| 2023-24 | |
| 2024-25 | |
| 2025-26 |
Megalitres, which are millions of litres. Australian totals in Dairy Australia's revised series, which starts at 2020-21 in this report.
Link to this chartDairy farms and herds
How many dairy farms there are, how that number has changed, where the farms and cows are and how big herds have become, from Dairy Australia's In Focus report. Farm numbers are registered dairy farms from state milk authorities and Dairy Australia, and cow numbers are Dairy Australia estimates. Our livestock statistics page has the national figures for dairy cows and for the whole dairy herd.
3,772
registered dairy farms, in a preliminary count
Preliminary figure from state milk authorities and Dairy Australia. Dairy Australia says farm numbers fell by three per cent on the year before.
Link to this figure93
cows in the average dairy herd in the earlier year Dairy Australia compares with
Link to this figure1.8 tonnes
national average feeding rate per cow per year that Dairy Australia gives for concentrates, from a survey of dairy farmers
From Dairy Australia's 2025 National Dairy Farmer Survey, given in Dairy Australia's passage on feeding moderate to high levels of concentrates. Dairy Australia says nearly all dairy farmers use some supplementary feed.
Link to this figure| State | Registered dairy farms |
|---|---|
| Victoria | |
| New South Wales | |
| Tasmania | |
| Queensland | |
| South Australia | |
| Western Australia |
Preliminary figures. Every state in the table; the table has no figures for the territories.
Link to this chart| Year | Registered dairy farms |
|---|---|
| 2011-12 | |
| 2012-13 | |
| 2013-14 | |
| 2014-15 | |
| 2015-16 | |
| 2016-17 | |
| 2017-18 | |
| 2018-19 | |
| 2019-20 | |
| 2020-21 | |
| 2021-22 | |
| 2022-23 | |
| 2023-24 | |
| 2024-25 |
Australian totals, every year in the table. The figure for 2024-25 is preliminary.
Link to this chart| State | Dairy cows |
|---|---|
| Victoria | |
| Tasmania | |
| New South Wales | |
| South Australia | |
| Queensland | |
| Western Australia |
Thousands of cows. Dairy Australia estimates of cows in milk and dry, based on information from the ABS and state milk authorities. The table is headed at 31 March. Every state in the table; the table has no figures for the territories.
Link to this chartWhat milk is worth and what dairy farms earn
The farm-gate value of milk sold, from the ABS, and the average cash income of dairy farms, from the ABARES survey of dairy farms. ABARES measures income per farm business, not per person.
6.0 billion dollars
farm-gate value of milk sold
ABS local value of milk sold during the year. Down 4.3% on 2023-24.
Link to this figure$369,700
average farm cash income per dairy farm in the ABARES Australian Dairy Industry Survey, which covers farms above a minimum estimated value of agricultural operations
Survey estimate for farms engaged in dairying with an estimated value of agricultural operations of $40,000 or more. Farm cash income is total cash receipts less total cash costs, per farm business, not per person. ABARES forecasts around $297,000 per farm for 2024-25; that is a forecast, not a survey result.
Link to this figure| Year | Farm-gate value in $m |
|---|---|
| 2020-21 | |
| 2021-22 | |
| 2022-23 | |
| 2023-24 | |
| 2024-25 |
Millions of dollars, ABS local value of milk sold. The ABS takes the figures for 2020-21 and 2021-22 from its Value of Agricultural Commodities Produced series.
Link to this chartDairy products and exports
How much cheese, butter and milk powder Australian dairy factories make, how much dairy Australia exports and where it goes. Production figures come from dairy manufacturers through Dairy Australia, and export totals are ABS trade data as compiled by Dairy Australia.
4,015,658 thousand dollars
value of dairy exports
Dairy Australia figures from ABS trade data, July 2025 to June 2026. Down 0.7% on the year before.
Link to this figure705,105 tonnes
of dairy products exported
Dairy Australia figures from ABS trade data, July 2025 to June 2026. Down 0.9% on the year before.
Link to this figure| Product | Tonnes made |
|---|---|
| Cheese other than cheddar | |
| Cheddar cheese | |
| Skim milk powder | |
| Butter | |
| Whole milk powder | |
| Whey powder |
Tonnes. Every product in the report. Dairy Australia says it has condensed some reports to keep data confidential.
Link to this chart| Product | Export value |
|---|---|
| Other cheese | |
| Skim milk powder | |
| Whole milk powder | |
| Other dairy products | |
| Whey products | |
| Milk | |
| Mixtures | |
| Cheddar | |
| Butter | |
| Butter oil |
Thousands of dollars. Every product group in the report. Butter includes butter blends, cheddar includes processed cheddar, other cheese includes other processed cheeses, whole milk powder includes infant powders, whey products include whey protein concentrates, and other dairy products include cream, casein, lactose, condensed milk, ice cream, yogurt, buttermilk powder and milk protein concentrates.
Link to this chart| Destination | Export value in $m |
|---|---|
| Greater China | |
| Japan | |
| Indonesia | |
| Malaysia | |
| Thailand | |
| Singapore | |
| Vietnam | |
| Philippines | |
| South Korea | |
| New Zealand |
Millions of dollars. The ten destinations in Dairy Australia's table of export destinations by value, as published. Greater China includes China, Hong Kong and Macau. In Focus 2025 puts total dairy exports for 2024-25 at $3,808 million, while the June 2026 export report gives $4,042,548 thousand for July 2024 to June 2025.
Link to this chartDairy farming and processing businesses
How many businesses have dairy cattle farming or dairy product manufacturing as their main activity, from the ABS count of actively trading businesses. The count includes businesses with no employees. It counts businesses rather than farms, and is a different measure from Dairy Australia's count of registered dairy farms.
299
dairy cattle farming businesses joined the ABS count of trading businesses
Entries include new registrations and businesses that resumed trading, so not every entry is a new farm.
Link to this figure530
dairy cattle farming businesses left the ABS count of trading businesses
Not every exit is a closure: a business leaves the count when it stops actively trading.
Link to this figure| Employees | Businesses |
|---|---|
| None | |
| 1 to 4 | |
| 5 to 19 | |
| 20 to 199 | |
| 200 or more |
Every employment size range in the table. Non-employing in ABS terms: no active pay-as-you-go withholding role with a remittance to the ATO in the past five quarters, or three years for annual remitters. Class counts may be slightly perturbed.
Link to this chart| State or territory | Businesses |
|---|---|
| Victoria | |
| New South Wales | |
| Queensland | |
| Tasmania | |
| South Australia | |
| Western Australia | |
| Australian Capital Territory | |
| Northern Territory |
By main state. Every state and territory with a count above zero, as published. The ABS says class counts may be perturbed, which matters most for small counts such as those for the territories.
Link to this chart| Main activity | Businesses |
|---|---|
| Cheese and other dairy products | |
| Ice cream | |
| Milk and cream processing |
Actively trading businesses in ANZSIC classes 1133 cheese and other dairy product manufacturing, 1132 ice cream manufacturing and 1131 milk and cream processing. Class counts may be slightly perturbed.
Link to this chartDairy workforce
How many people work on dairy farms and in dairy processing, as estimated by Dairy Australia. Dairy Australia derives these figures from state level ABS Labour Force statistics from an earlier quarter, and splits them within each state on the basis of milk production, so they are estimates rather than headcounts. The ABS Labour Force release tables give employment by industry division, which groups dairy with the rest of agriculture, forestry and fishing.
30,400
people working directly in dairy on farms and in processing, a Dairy Australia estimate based on ABS Labour Force figures from an earlier quarter
Full-time and part-time. Dairy Australia says the number is derived from three-yearly median state level figures in the ABS Labour Force Statistics, May 2020 quarter publication, split on the basis of milk production within states.
Link to this figure13,100
people employed on dairy farms, a Dairy Australia estimate based on ABS Labour Force figures from an earlier quarter
Full-time and part-time. Derived by Dairy Australia from three-yearly median state level figures in the ABS Labour Force Statistics, May 2020 quarter publication, split on the basis of milk production within states.
Link to this figure17,300
people employed in dairy processing, a Dairy Australia estimate based on ABS Labour Force figures from an earlier quarter
Full-time and part-time. Derived by Dairy Australia from three-yearly median state level figures in the ABS Labour Force Statistics, May 2020 quarter publication, split on the basis of milk production within states.
Link to this figureCommon questions
How big is the dairy industry in Australia?
Dairy Australia reports 8,654.3 million litres of milk produced, and the ABS put the farm-gate value of milk sold at 6.0 billion dollars . Dairy exports were worth 4,015,658 thousand dollars . Dairy Australia estimates 30,400 people work directly in dairy, on farms and in processing.
How many dairy farms are there in Australia?
Dairy Australia counts 3,772 registered dairy farms in its preliminary figure. The ABS also counts actively trading businesses whose main activity is dairy cattle farming, and the business charts below show that count by number of employees and by state. The ABS counts businesses rather than farms, so they are different measures.
How has the number of dairy farms changed over time?
Dairy Australia reports 21,989 dairy farms in the earlier year it compares with, against 3,772 in its latest count. Herds have grown too: the average dairy herd had 345 cows, up from 93 cows in an earlier year Dairy Australia compares with. The chart of registered dairy farms each year above shows the count for every year in its table.
Which state has the most dairy cows?
Victoria, in Dairy Australia's estimates of cows in milk and dry. The chart of dairy cows by state above shows the estimate for each state. Our livestock statistics page gives the national count of dairy cows and the ABS estimate of the whole dairy herd.
How much milk does Australia produce?
Dairy Australia reports 8,654.3 million litres of milk produced, a rise of 1.5% on the year before. In the opening months of the current season, 2,140.0 million litres was produced.
Which state produces the most milk?
Victoria, which produced the largest volume of milk in Dairy Australia's figures, followed by New South Wales and Tasmania. The chart of milk production by state above shows the figure for each state.
How much dairy does Australia export?
Australia exported 705,105 tonnes of dairy products worth 4,015,658 thousand dollars , in Dairy Australia's figures from ABS trade data. Cheese other than cheddar was the largest export by value, as the chart of export value by product shows, and Greater China was the largest destination by value in the year before, in Dairy Australia's In Focus table. The destination chart above shows the year that table covers.
How many people work in the dairy industry?
Dairy Australia estimates 13,100 people are employed on dairy farms and 17,300 in dairy processing, counting full-time and part-time workers. These are estimates derived from ABS Labour Force statistics, not headcounts.
How much does a dairy farm earn?
ABARES estimates average farm cash income of $369,700 per dairy farm. That is income per farm business, not per person. ABARES expected dairy farm profitability to fall in the following year because of lower farmgate milk prices.
Using these figures
You are welcome to quote any figure on this page. Please credit the original publisher named beside it, and link to this page if it saved you time. Each figure has its own link, so you can send readers straight to it.
How these figures are put together
Every figure on this page comes from the published source linked beside it and applies to the period shown with it. Figures are copied as published. Nothing is estimated, adjusted or combined from different sources.
Each figure is checked against its source when the page is reviewed, and the review date is shown at the top of the page. If a source publishes a newer figure before then, or you spot an error, let us know through the contact page.
Sources
- Dairy Australia: Milk Production Report: 2020/21 to 2025/26 by State. Monthly milk production figures supplied voluntarily by dairy manufacturers, compiled by Dairy Australia's Economics, Data and Insights team. Dairy Australia has reviewed this data and applied retrospective revisions. Matching workbook: National-Milk-Production-2021-2026. Updates: Monthly reports during the season, with a full-year report after each June. Retrieved 30 October 2026.
- Dairy Australia: Milk Production Report: 2026/27 by State, year to date to September 2026. Monthly milk production figures supplied voluntarily by dairy manufacturers, compiled by Dairy Australia. This file is replaced each month as the season goes on. Updates: Monthly. Retrieved 30 October 2026.
- Dairy Australia: In Focus 2025: The Australian Dairy Industry. Dairy Australia's annual industry report on the 2024-25 season, drawing on state milk authorities, dairy manufacturers, the ABS, Dairy Australia's National Dairy Farmer Survey and other sources. Updates: Annual. The 2025 edition is the latest listed on Dairy Australia's In Focus page. Retrieved 30 October 2026.
- Dairy Australia: Dairy Export Report, June 2026. ABS trade data compiled by Dairy Australia, for July 2025 to June 2026 against the year before. Matching workbook: Dairy Export Summary, June 2026. Updates: Monthly, as year-to-date figures. Retrieved 30 October 2026.
- Dairy Australia: Manufactured Dairy Production Report: 2025/26 by Product (June 2026). Production figures supplied voluntarily by dairy manufacturers, compiled by Dairy Australia. Dairy Australia has reviewed this dataset and applied retrospective revisions. Updates: Monthly. Retrieved 30 October 2026.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics: Australian Agriculture: Livestock, 2024-25 financial year. Local value of livestock disposals and livestock products, including milk sold, released 28 April 2026. Figures for 2020-21 and 2021-22 come from the ABS Value of Agricultural Commodities Produced series. Updates: Annual. The next release date is not yet set. Retrieved 30 October 2026.
- Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES): Financial performance of dairy farms, 2022-23 to 2024-25. ABARES Australian Dairy Industry Survey, which covers farms engaged in dairying with an estimated value of agricultural operations of $40,000 or more, as stated on the ABARES page Farm surveys definitions and methods, https://www.agriculture.gov.au/abares/research-topics/surveys/farm-definitions-methods (last updated 2 March 2021). Results page last updated 29 July 2025. Updates: Annual. Retrieved 30 October 2026.
- Australian Bureau of Statistics: Counts of Australian Businesses, including Entries and Exits, July 2021 to June 2025 (data cube 2). Businesses by main state by ANZSIC industry class by employment size, ANZSIC classes 0160, 1131, 1132 and 1133, released 16 December 2025. Updates: Annual. Industry class detail is released each December. A newer edition, July 2022 to June 2026, was released on 18 August 2026 without class detail, which is due on 18 December 2026. Retrieved 30 October 2026.
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