For decades, New Zealand has been synonymous with sheep — and with good reason. But new figures released this week reveal that the iconic sheep-to-human ratio, once a global punchline, is now at its lowest point in more than 40 years.

According to Statistics New Zealand, the country is currently home to 23.6 million sheep and 5.3 million people — roughly 4.5 sheep per person. That’s a steep decline from 1982, when sheep outnumbered Kiwis 22 to 1, and the wool industry was the country’s biggest export earner.

The decline reflects seismic shifts in global agriculture, fashion, and climate response. The country’s main agricultural lobby group attributes the drop to plummeting global wool prices, driven by a worldwide move toward cheaper synthetic fibers and changing land-use priorities among farmers.

“Farming isn’t what it used to be,” the group noted, explaining that many former sheep farmers have diversified into cattle, horticulture, or forestry as traditional sheep farming becomes less economically viable.

Still, the image of New Zealand as a sheep haven persists internationally — often humorously — and the ratio remains one of the highest in the world.

“There was a time when we had nearly 70 million sheep,” one local farmer said. “Now, it’s the humans who are catching up.”

While New Zealand remains among a small group of countries where sheep still outnumber people, the numbers tell a story of transformation — both for the land and the economy.