Public data on antibiotic use in livestock is incomplete, making it difficult to track how much is used and where

If we want to understand the risks of antimicrobial resistance, we need to know how antibiotics are being used, including their volumes, which types, and where they’re consumed.

Unfortunately, there are significant data gaps in antibiotic use for livestock.

In 2016, the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) started gathering and publishing data on the use of antibiotics in animals. Countries voluntarily submit their data to the WOAH; on a positive note, the number of countries contributing has increased over time. But unfortunately, data is still limited.

In its first year, 130 countries participated in the WOAH network, with 82 submitting quantitative data that could be used to analyze trends and levels of antibiotic use.¹ The other 48 countries provided some qualitative information, such as antibiotics being used and regulations they had in place. Still, they did not have — or refused to provide — quantitative estimates of the total amount of antibiotics being used nationally.

In its 2024 report, 152 countries participated, with 96 countries publishing data with sufficient detail for the WOAH to understand the types of antibiotics being used and in what quantities.

Very few countries — just 39 — make their data publicly available online. WOAH cannot publicize national-level data in its reports, so it is limited to publishing just regional averages or totals. These are helpful but don’t give a precise picture of antibiotic use in each country.

Some researchers do produce national estimates based on the data that is publicly available and extrapolated in models, but studies do not necessarily agree on how much antibiotics are used globally. Estimates range from around 76,000 tonnes to more than 100,000 tonnes.²

One of the most recent studies by Mulchandani and colleagues (which we cover in detail in our related article) estimates that the world uses around 99,500 tonnes of antibiotics in livestock each year but with a confidence interval stretching from 68,000 to 198,000 tonnes.

The world needs more transparent and precise data on antibiotic use. Without it, we do not have a global monitoring system to track the risks of antimicrobial resistance in livestock.

In our related article, we look at what the available data — and researchers’ estimates — tell us about antibiotic use and our ability to use them more effectively:

Large amounts of antibiotics are used in livestock, but several countries have shown this doesn’t have to be the case

Overuse is a risk for antibiotic resistance, but there are ways to reduce it.

Hannah Ritchie and Fiona Spooner (2024) - “Public data on antibiotic use in livestock is incomplete, making it difficult to track how much is used and where” Published online at OurWorldinData.org. Retrieved from: 'https://ourworldindata.org/antibiotics-livestock-data' [Online Resource]

@article{owid-antibiotics-livestock-data,
    author = {Hannah Ritchie and Fiona Spooner},
    title = {Public data on antibiotic use in livestock is incomplete, making it difficult to track how much is used and where},
    journal = {Our World in Data},
    year = {2024},
    note = {https://ourworldindata.org/antibiotics-livestock-data}
}

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