Gdoc/Admin
Daily Data InsightsMore land animals than ever before are slaughtered for meat

More land animals than ever before are slaughtered for meat

The image presents a data visualization illustrating the number of animals killed for meat worldwide from 1961 to 2022. It is divided into four sections, each representing a different animal species:

1. **Chickens**: Shown in orange, the graph starts at zero in 1961 and rises sharply, reaching approximately 60 billion killed by 2022.
  
2. **Pigs**: Displayed in green, this chart shows a more gradual increase, starting from zero in 1961 and peaking at around 1 billion killed by 2022.

3. **Sheep and Goats**: Presented in blue, this line shows a steady rise from zero in 1961 to nearly 400 million by 2022, with a peak near 1 billion.

4. **Cows**: Illustrated in dark green, this graph shows a slow but consistent increase from zero to about 300 million killed by 2022.

Each section has a label indicating the species and the number of animals on the vertical axis, while the horizontal axis marks the years from 1961 to 2022. The bottom of the image references the data source as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN from 2023, with a CC BY attribution.

Global livestock numbers — tracked by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization since 1961 — have surged, with particularly large increases in the number of chickens, pigs, sheep, goats, and cows.

For many land animals, life is short and painful. Recent estimates indicate that globally, most animals are raised on factory farms. In the US, where better data and research are available, 99% of livestock is factory-farmed.

Explore many more interactive charts and articles on animal welfare

Our latest Daily Data Insights

See all Daily Data Insights

Get Daily Data Insights delivered to your inbox

Receive an email from us when we publish a Daily Data Insight (every weekday).

By subscribing you are agreeing to the terms of our privacy policy.