A group of donkeys may be referred to as a drove, pace, or herd. A solitary male donkey may be called an ass or jack, while a solitary female donkey may be called a jenny or jennet.
As of 2006, there were a reported 41 million donkeys in the world, with a majority of them living in either Asia or Africa. Of that 41 million, roughly 96 percent of those donkeys are in undeveloped countries, where they are used as pack animals. Donkeys often provide relatively cheap agricultural work for those living at or below subsistence levels. In China, the country with the most donkeys, donkey meat is considered a delicacy.