Mongolia registered 71.1 million head of livestock, a record high since the nomadic country began a livestock animal census in 1918, said a senior expert of the National Statistics Office (NSO).

A preliminary result of the annual livestock census by the NSO showed that the number of livestock in 2022 increased by 3.8 million, or 5.6 percent, from the previous year.

Sheep accounted for 46.0 percent of all livestock, goats 38.8 percent, cattle 7.7 percent, horses 6.8 percent and camels 0.7 percent.

Mongolia is one of the world’s last surviving nomadic countries. The promotion of livestock husbandry is seen as the most viable solution to diversify the landlocked country’s mining-dependent economy.