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Livestock systems account for 19% of total global greenhouse gas emissions, so it is of great importance to explore their carbon footprint under different management modes for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating global warming. We conducted a survey of 404 herdsmen households in a typical steppe region of Inner Mongolia, the province with the highest number of livestock in China. This study identifies different livestock management modes, and analyzes their carbon footprint and carbon efficiencies. The results show that: (1) according to source of household income, there are seven management modes, including small livestock breeding-oriented, large livestock breeding-oriented, mixed small/large livestock breeding, grassland byproduct-oriented, pasture leasing-oriented, non-livestock-oriented, and mixed with breeding and non-livestock. The dominant management mode in this typical steppe region of Inner Mongolia was small livestock breeding-oriented. (2) Among the seven management modes, mixed with breeding, and non-livestock management, had the highest household carbon footprint (7.22 t CO2), and also the highest household income (208,500 Chinese Yuan), while grassland byproduct-oriented management had the lowest household carbon footprint (5.07 t CO2), and pasture leasing-oriented management had the lowest household income (71,000 Chinese Yuan). (3) Based on the Gini coefficient, the distribution of household carbon footprint among the seven management modes was relatively equal (0.26), but the direct carbon footprint showed the greatest inequality among these management modes (0.38). (4) The seven management modes showed significant differences in carbon efficiency, with grassland byproduct-oriented management, and mixed small/large livestock breeding management, ranked in the top two, while pasture leasing-oriented management had the lowest carbon efficiency. We identified grassland byproduct-oriented management, and mixed small/large livestock breeding management, as the two most optimal management modes. Although the pasture leasing-oriented management mode exhibited a lower household carbon footprint, it also had the lowest carbon efficiency, and so its adoption should be cautious. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.