A study on the socio-economic status of sheep farmers was conducted in Tamil Nadu, India. From each of the five selected agro-climatic zones, eight blocks were selected randomly and from each selected block, two villages were selected randomly. From each selected village, five farmers were selected randomly constituting the total sample size of 400 sheep farmers. The data were collected by personal interview method with the help of pretested interview schedule. The study revealed that the nearly half of the respondents (48.50 per cent) belonged to the middle-aged category (above 35–50 years), majority of the respondents were male (85.50 per cent), half of the respondents (48.25 per cent) were illiterate, Cent per cent of the respondents reported sheep farming as their primary occupation, the majority of the respondents (68.50 per cent) belonged to the medium experience category (15.59 to 36.55 years), majority of the respondents (41.75 per cent) belonged to the small flock size category (up to 49 animals), 38.25 per cent of the respondents belonged to the low-income category (up to ₹5 lakhs per annum), an overwhelming majority of the respondents (99.75 per cent) preferred selling sheep through intermediaries or middlemen.. The study on socio-economic status of sheep farmers revealed that the sheep farming contributed to the livelihood security of rural households with different socio-economic background and inclusion of sheep farming in welfare scheme would improve the livelihood in rural areas.