(This page is no longer up to date. For the latest data, visit AnimalDeathCount.webnode.com.)
See below for complete figures for 2000-2010. However, 2011 figures for land animals (but not yet sea animals) are now available; here's a sneak peek, with some highlights:
In 2011, compared to 2010:
- The average meat-eater ate 1 fewer land animal — a 4% drop from 27.1 to 26.1 animals.
- Cattle, pigs, chickens for meat, and chickens for eggs each saw a drop of 3-5%. (Turkeys saw a small 0.7% increase.)
- Overall, the number of land animals that died for Americans fell from 8.4 to 8.2 billion, or 242 million fewer animals – including 1 million fewer cows, 5 million fewer pigs, and 240 million fewer chickens (but an additional 5 million turkeys).
Long-term trend:
- In 2011, the average meat-eater caused the deaths of fewer cows, fewer pigs, and fewer chickens than any other year going back to at least 2000, while deaths for turkeys and ducks remain at near lows.
- Since peaking in 2004, the average meat-eater eats 4 fewer land animals — a 13% drop from 31.2 to 27.1 animals.
- Overall, that’s a nationwide drop from 8.9 billion in 2005 to 8.2 billion in in 2011, or 725 million fewer.
Calculated by Noam Mohr, noammohr@gmail.com, May 2012
