Environmental Sustainability Programme

October 2024

Dairy and Socio-Economic Development

This report explores relationships between dairy sector development and several social indicators that are linked to milk and dairy from cattle. Country level indicators comprising 97 statistical variables were collected for 187 countries and territories in different world regions, with representatives from low, lower middle, upper middle, and high income economies. In a cross-sectional study with a base year of 2018, dairy sector development was approximated by average milk yield and indicators were selected that summarized aspects of dairy farmers’ livelihoods, employment in milk processing plants, consumption of milk and dairy products, and benefits to governments.