The number of donkeys in the Kingdom reached 26 in 2025, while some cities and governorates were devoid of birds and cats, according to official statistics published by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture on the open data platform.

The statistics, published under the title "Number of Animals in the Kingdom by Region and Type," revealed notable paradoxes and disparities in the recorded animal counts across the Kingdom's regions and governorates from 2016 to 2026, showing low numbers or sharp jumps that raise questions about the accuracy of the monitoring mechanism and the methodology of the census.

According to the statistics, the number of donkeys in the Kingdom in 2025 was 26, distributed across 7 cities, with 13 in Qatif Governorate, while Unaizah, Al-Kharj, and Al-Qurayyat each recorded one donkey. The number of donkeys in the Kingdom declined in 2024 from 59 donkeys distributed across 12 cities, with data for 11 of those cities missing in 2025 except for Qatif, which recorded 3 donkeys.

It showed that the number of camels in the Kingdom according to the statistics reached 145,945 heads, with Al-Asyah Governorate in Al-Qassim topping the list with 8,672 heads, followed by Hafr Al-Batin with 6,336, then Qaryat Al-Ulya with 4,690—contradicting a previous ministry announcement that the number of camels in the Kingdom was 2,235,297 heads according to 2024 statistical data across the Kingdom's regions.

Cities and Governorates Record a Single Dog Each

Regarding the number of dogs in the Kingdom, the statistics, updated two weeks ago, revealed 478 dogs distributed across 42 Saudi cities, with 144 in Dammam and 78 in Riyadh, while 10 Saudi cities recorded only one dog each, including Dhahran Al-Janoub, Baljurashi, Shaqra, and Mahayel Asir.

According to the statistics, the number of dogs in 2025 decreased by 11.6% compared to 2024, when it was 541 dogs, with Dammam having the largest share at 217.

364 Rodents in the Kingdom, 200 in the 'Bride of the Red Sea'

The statistics showed that the number of rodents reached 364, with Jeddah topping the list at 200 rodents, followed by Al-Aqiq with 70, and Taif with 60. The statistics indicated that the number of rodents in 2024 was 338, with the highest in Yanbu at 140 rodents and the lowest in Al-Rass at a single rodent.

Notably, Jeddah recorded no rodents in the 2024 census, only to suddenly appear in 2025 topping the Kingdom's list with 200 rodents—more than half the total rodents recorded in the country. Conversely, Yanbu, which topped the list in 2024 with 140 rodents, disappeared entirely from the 2025 records. Also absent from the latest year's statistics were Buraidah (80 rodents), Al-Khurma (56 rodents), and Al-Muzahmiyya (20 rodents), despite recording notable numbers the previous year.

Al-Shuqiq: 3 Million Chickens; Khulais: 5 Chickens

Al-Shuqiq Governorate in Jazan Region recorded one of the most striking anomalies in the statistics: it had 3,600,170 chickens in 2025, compared to only 4 dogs. In comparison to 2024, the governorate had recorded 67 chickens and 6 dogs, raising questions about the reasons for this huge increase in chicken numbers within one year.

The number of poultry in the Kingdom in 2025 according to the statistics exceeded 12,896,000 chickens, with Al-Shuqiq topping the list, while Khulais Governorate ranked last with only 5 chickens.

121,000 Birds in the Kingdom; Sabya Has None

The statistics showed that the number of birds reached 121,421 in 2025, with the largest share in Al-Quwaiiyah Governorate at 21,000 birds, followed by Al-Midhnab with 20,000, while Sabya Governorate had zero birds—a surprising fact for a governorate known for its agricultural activity and climate suitable for bird breeding.

Birds are distributed across only 80 cities in the Kingdom, with Qatif ranking third with 11,776 birds, followed by Buraidah with 7,445 birds.

Continuing the oddities of the statistics, the number of cows in the Kingdom's cities recorded by the statistics reached 34,920 cows, with the largest share in Bish Governorate at 4,109, followed by Badr Al-Janoub with over 3,000 cows, while the statistics recorded only one cow in Hafr Al-Batin and 3 cows in Riyadh Al-Khubra in Al-Qassim.

A comparison of cattle data between 2024 and 2025 reveals unexplained shifts: the total number of cows in the Kingdom decreased by 11.6%, from 39,490 to 34,920. But even stranger is what happened in Al-Hufuf, which dropped from 5,009 cows in 2024 to just 25 cows in 2025—a loss of 99.5% of its herd! Conversely, Al-Kharj jumped from 40 cows to 2,032 cows, and Rijal Almaa's cows quintupled from 453 to 2,323.

556,410 Sheep in Rijal Almaa and One Cat

In another paradox, Rijal Almaa Governorate in Asir Region recorded 556,410 sheep, compared to just one cat, while the number of sheep in the Kingdom in 2025 according to the published statistics was 7.42 million heads, including 592,836 in Al-Qaraa Center in Al-Qassim Region. At the bottom of the list was Turba, with 21 sheep.

Regarding the number of cats in the Kingdom, the list showed 5,975 cats, with Dammam topping the list at 2,617 cats, followed by Medina with 890, then Riyadh with 553, while Al-Muzahmiyya, Al-Quwaiiyah, Al-Qunfudhah, Al-Badai, Al-Mukhwah, Baljurashi, and Shaqra each recorded only one cat.

The statistics showed that the number of cats in 2024 was 6,271, with Dammam topping at 3,313, followed by Riyadh with 1,112 cats. The statistics revealed fluctuations over the decade, peaking in 2023 at 8,448 cats, before dropping to 6,271 in 2024, while remaining higher than levels recorded in other years.

According to the statistics, donkeys were the least numerous animals in the Kingdom in 2025, followed by racing camels (129), then gazelles (306), while poultry topped the list with over 12 million chickens.

Akhbar 24 contacted the ministry to verify the accuracy of this data and to learn about the census methods, data collection mechanisms, and classification used to count these animals, but the ministry did not respond to our inquiries until the time of report publication.