Every number, with its context

61 statistic records, each with its current status, original source and limitations. A range can describe different things; read the accompanying note before using it.

1. Share of global greenhouse gas emissions from food

   reviewed

   26 %

   Range: 21–37 %

   Global · 2018

   26% is Poore & Nemecek’s estimate (reference period around 2010); the 21–37% span is the IPCC SRCCL 2019 estimate range, not a confidence interval. Includes land-use change, farming, processing, transport, packaging and retail.

   Source: Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers · Original publication

   • Reducing meat and dairy consumption, especially beef and lamb, is one of the largest ways an individual's diet can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

2. Share of food-system emissions from animal-based foods

   reviewed

   57 %

   Global · 2021

   Source: Global greenhouse gas emissions from animal-based foods are twice those of plant-based foods · Original publication

   • Reducing meat and dairy consumption, especially beef and lamb, is one of the largest ways an individual's diet can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

3. Beef (beef herd)

   reviewed

   50 kg CO₂e per 100 g protein

   Global average · 2018

   Source: Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers · Original publication

   • Per gram of protein, beef from dedicated beef herds produces roughly 25 times the greenhouse gas emissions of tofu and 60 times those of pulses; the ratio to peas is over 100.

4. Lamb

   reviewed

   20 kg CO₂e per 100 g protein

   Global average · 2018

   Source: Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers · Original publication

   • Per gram of protein, beef from dedicated beef herds produces roughly 25 times the greenhouse gas emissions of tofu and 60 times those of pulses; the ratio to peas is over 100.

5. Cheese

   reviewed

   11 kg CO₂e per 100 g protein

   Global average · 2018

   Source: Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers · Original publication

   • Per gram of protein, beef from dedicated beef herds produces roughly 25 times the greenhouse gas emissions of tofu and 60 times those of pulses; the ratio to peas is over 100.

6. Pork

   reviewed

   7.6 kg CO₂e per 100 g protein

   Global average · 2018

   Source: Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers · Original publication

   • Per gram of protein, beef from dedicated beef herds produces roughly 25 times the greenhouse gas emissions of tofu and 60 times those of pulses; the ratio to peas is over 100.

7. Chicken

   reviewed

   5.7 kg CO₂e per 100 g protein

   Global average · 2018

   Source: Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers · Original publication

   • Per gram of protein, beef from dedicated beef herds produces roughly 25 times the greenhouse gas emissions of tofu and 60 times those of pulses; the ratio to peas is over 100.

8. Eggs

   reviewed

   4.2 kg CO₂e per 100 g protein

   Global average · 2018

   Source: Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers · Original publication

   • Per gram of protein, beef from dedicated beef herds produces roughly 25 times the greenhouse gas emissions of tofu and 60 times those of pulses; the ratio to peas is over 100.

9. Tofu

   reviewed

   2 kg CO₂e per 100 g protein

   Global average · 2018

   Source: Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers · Original publication

   • Per gram of protein, beef from dedicated beef herds produces roughly 25 times the greenhouse gas emissions of tofu and 60 times those of pulses; the ratio to peas is over 100.

10. Beans & pulses

    reviewed

    0.8 kg CO₂e per 100 g protein

    Global average · 2018

    Source: Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers · Original publication

    • Per gram of protein, beef from dedicated beef herds produces roughly 25 times the greenhouse gas emissions of tofu and 60 times those of pulses; the ratio to peas is over 100.

11. Peas

    reviewed

    0.4 kg CO₂e per 100 g protein

    Global average · 2018

    Source: Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers · Original publication

    • Per gram of protein, beef from dedicated beef herds produces roughly 25 times the greenhouse gas emissions of tofu and 60 times those of pulses; the ratio to peas is over 100.

12. Share of the world's farmland used for livestock (grazing plus feed crops)

    reviewed

    83 %

    Global · 2018

    Poore & Nemecek’s 2018 allocation: livestock supplies around 18% of global calories and 37% of protein from that land.

    Source: Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers · Original publication

    • Poore & Nemecek estimate livestock uses 83% of the world's agricultural land while supplying under a fifth of its calories.

13. Share of global calories supplied by animal products

    reviewed

    18 %

    Global · 2018

    Source: Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers · Original publication

    • Poore & Nemecek estimate livestock uses 83% of the world's agricultural land while supplying under a fifth of its calories.

14. Share of global soy used as animal feed

    reviewed

    77 %

    Global · 2021

    Includes soy meal after oil extraction. Roughly 7% goes directly to human foods such as tofu and soy milk.

    Source: Soy · Original publication

    • More than three-quarters of the world's soy is fed to livestock; only around 7% is eaten directly by people.

15. Share of global soy eaten directly by people

    reviewed

    7 %

    Global · 2021

    Source: Soy · Original publication

    • More than three-quarters of the world's soy is fed to livestock; only around 7% is eaten directly by people.

16. Land animals slaughtered for meat each year

    reviewed

    85 billion

    Global · 2023

    Rounded from about 84.7 billion across seven major species in 2023; other species add further animals. Excludes fish and other aquatic animals, which are not counted individually in official statistics.

    Source: FAOSTAT: Crops and livestock products — producing animals / slaughtered · Original publication

    • Around 85 billion land animals are slaughtered for food each year worldwide, the large majority of them chickens.

17. Chickens

    reviewed

    77 billion per year

    Global · 2023

    Source: FAOSTAT: Crops and livestock products — producing animals / slaughtered · Original publication

    • Around 85 billion land animals are slaughtered for food each year worldwide, the large majority of them chickens.

18. Pigs

    reviewed

    1.5 billion per year

    Global · 2023

    Source: FAOSTAT: Crops and livestock products — producing animals / slaughtered · Original publication

    • Around 85 billion land animals are slaughtered for food each year worldwide, the large majority of them chickens.

19. Sheep & goats

    reviewed

    1.3 billion per year

    Global · 2023

    Source: FAOSTAT: Crops and livestock products — producing animals / slaughtered · Original publication

    • Around 85 billion land animals are slaughtered for food each year worldwide, the large majority of them chickens.

20. Cattle

    reviewed

    0.3 billion per year

    Global · 2023

    Source: FAOSTAT: Crops and livestock products — producing animals / slaughtered · Original publication

    • Around 85 billion land animals are slaughtered for food each year worldwide, the large majority of them chickens.

21. Studies reviewed in the LSE sentience report (over 300)

    sample

    300 studies (more than 300)

    Not applicable · 2021

    Source: Review of the evidence of sentience in cephalopod molluscs and decapod crustaceans · Original publication

    • There is broad scientific agreement that mammals, birds and fish can experience pain, and growing evidence that some invertebrates such as decapod crustaceans can too.

22. Lower risk of ischaemic heart disease in vegetarians (relative)

    reviewed

    25 % lower relative risk

    Multiple countries · 2017

    RR 0.75 (95% CI 0.68–0.82) from observational cohorts. Absolute differences are smaller and depend on baseline risk.

    Source: Vegetarian, vegan diets and multiple health outcomes: a systematic review with meta-analysis of observational studies · Original publication

    • Vegetarian and vegan diets are associated with lower cholesterol and around a quarter lower relative risk of ischaemic heart disease.

23. Lower overall cancer incidence in vegetarians (relative)

    reviewed

    8 % lower relative risk

    Multiple countries · 2017

    RR 0.92 (95% CI 0.87–0.98), observational cohorts; association does not prove causation.

    Source: Vegetarian, vegan diets and multiple health outcomes: a systematic review with meta-analysis of observational studies · Original publication

    • Vegetarian and vegan diets are associated with lower cholesterol and around a quarter lower relative risk of ischaemic heart disease.

24. Difference in all-cause mortality for vegetarians

    reviewed

    0 % (no significant difference)

    Multiple countries · 2017

    Zero is a display convention for no statistically significant association, not evidence of exactly zero effect.

    Source: Vegetarian, vegan diets and multiple health outcomes: a systematic review with meta-analysis of observational studies · Original publication

    • A well-planned vegan diet is associated with lower risk of several chronic diseases, but the evidence does not show a clear difference in overall mortality, and poorly planned vegan diets carry nutritional risks.

25. Vegan men with serum B12 below 118 pmol/L in EPIC-Oxford

    sample

    52 % of vegan men studied

    United Kingdom; male EPIC-Oxford participants · 2010

    Cross-sectional study of 689 men across diet groups; supplement users were not excluded. This is not a pooled vegan prevalence. Pawlak’s 11–90% range concerns older vegetarians across studies.

    Source: Serum concentrations of vitamin B12 and folate in British male omnivores, vegetarians and vegans: EPIC-Oxford · Original publication

    • Vegans need vitamin B12 from supplements or fortified foods; without one, deficiency is common and can cause lasting harm.

26. Recommended protein intake for most adults

    sample

    0.8 g per kg body weight per day

    International guideline value · 2005

    Source: Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy, Carbohydrate, Fiber, Fat, Fatty Acids, Cholesterol, Protein, and Amino Acids · Original publication

    • Vegans who eat enough food and a varied diet generally meet protein requirements; combining specific foods at each meal is not necessary.

27. Share of grazing livestock emissions that soil carbon could plausibly offset

    reviewed

    40 % (estimated range 20–60%)

    Range: 20–60 % (estimated range 20–60%)

    Global · 2017

    Time-limited: soils saturate after decades and gains can be reversed.

    Source: Grazed and Confused? Ruminating on cattle, grazing systems, methane, nitrous oxide, the soil carbon sequestration question · Original publication

    • Well-managed grazing can store some carbon in soil, but not enough to offset cattle's own emissions, and grass-fed beef generally has higher emissions per kg than grain-finished beef.

28. Meat supply per person, 1961

    sample

    23 kg per person per year

    Global · 1961

    Supply (production plus imports minus exports and other uses), not intake; includes waste.

    Source: FAOSTAT Food Balance Sheets · Original publication

    • Reducing meat and dairy consumption, especially beef and lamb, is one of the largest ways an individual's diet can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

29. Meat supply per person, 1970

    sample

    26.7 kg per person per year

    Global · 1970

    Supply (production plus imports minus exports and other uses), not intake; includes waste.

    Source: FAOSTAT Food Balance Sheets · Original publication

    • Reducing meat and dairy consumption, especially beef and lamb, is one of the largest ways an individual's diet can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

30. Meat supply per person, 1980

    sample

    30.2 kg per person per year

    Global · 1980

    Supply (production plus imports minus exports and other uses), not intake; includes waste.

    Source: FAOSTAT Food Balance Sheets · Original publication

    • Reducing meat and dairy consumption, especially beef and lamb, is one of the largest ways an individual's diet can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

31. Meat supply per person, 1990

    sample

    32.9 kg per person per year

    Global · 1990

    Supply (production plus imports minus exports and other uses), not intake; includes waste.

    Source: FAOSTAT Food Balance Sheets · Original publication

    • Reducing meat and dairy consumption, especially beef and lamb, is one of the largest ways an individual's diet can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

32. Meat supply per person, 2000

    sample

    36.4 kg per person per year

    Global · 2000

    Supply (production plus imports minus exports and other uses), not intake; includes waste.

    Source: FAOSTAT Food Balance Sheets · Original publication

    • Reducing meat and dairy consumption, especially beef and lamb, is one of the largest ways an individual's diet can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

33. Meat supply per person, 2010

    sample

    40.9 kg per person per year

    Global · 2010

    Supply (production plus imports minus exports and other uses), not intake; includes waste.

    Source: FAOSTAT Food Balance Sheets · Original publication

    • Reducing meat and dairy consumption, especially beef and lamb, is one of the largest ways an individual's diet can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

34. Meat supply per person, 2020

    sample

    42 kg per person per year

    Global · 2020

    Supply (production plus imports minus exports and other uses), not intake; includes waste.

    Source: FAOSTAT Food Balance Sheets · Original publication

    • Reducing meat and dairy consumption, especially beef and lamb, is one of the largest ways an individual's diet can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

35. Meat supply per person, 2023

    sample

    45.1 kg per person per year

    Global · 2023

    Supply (production plus imports minus exports and other uses), not intake; includes waste.

    Source: FAOSTAT Food Balance Sheets · Original publication

    • Reducing meat and dairy consumption, especially beef and lamb, is one of the largest ways an individual's diet can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

36. Beef from dairy herds

    reviewed

    33.3 kg CO₂e per kg

    Global average · 2018

    OWID/Poore & Nemecek dataset accessed 2026-09-06; per kg retail weight. Unverified percentile ranges omitted.

    Source: Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers · Original publication

    • Per gram of protein, beef from dedicated beef herds produces roughly 25 times the greenhouse gas emissions of tofu and 60 times those of pulses; the ratio to peas is over 100.

37. Beef from beef herds

    reviewed

    99.5 kg CO₂e per kg

    Global average · 2018

    OWID/Poore & Nemecek dataset accessed 2026-09-06; per kg retail weight. Unverified percentile ranges omitted.

    Source: Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers · Original publication

    • Per gram of protein, beef from dedicated beef herds produces roughly 25 times the greenhouse gas emissions of tofu and 60 times those of pulses; the ratio to peas is over 100.
    • Well-managed grazing can store some carbon in soil, but not enough to offset cattle's own emissions, and grass-fed beef generally has higher emissions per kg than grain-finished beef.

38. Brazil beef, excluding land-use change

    sample

    28 kg CO₂e per kg carcass

    Brazil · 2011

    Carcass basis, excluding deforestation. Frontier beef is much higher; not directly comparable with the global retail-weight figures.

    Source: Including carbon emissions from deforestation in the carbon footprint of Brazilian beef · Original publication

    • Per gram of protein, beef from dedicated beef herds produces roughly 25 times the greenhouse gas emissions of tofu and 60 times those of pulses; the ratio to peas is over 100.

39. UK food consumption footprint relative to UK territorial emissions

    sample

    35 %

    United Kingdom · 2019

    About 160 Mt CO₂e including overseas emissions from food imports, divided by UK territorial emissions. This ratio is not the share emitted by food within UK territory.

    Source: Tracking UK Food System Greenhouse Gas Emissions · Original publication

    • Reducing meat and dairy consumption, especially beef and lamb, is one of the largest ways an individual's diet can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

40. Lower cancer incidence in vegans (relative)

    reviewed

    15 % lower relative risk

    Multiple countries · 2017

    RR 0.85 (95% CI 0.75–0.95); few vegan cohorts, observational association.

    Source: Vegetarian, vegan diets and multiple health outcomes: a systematic review with meta-analysis of observational studies · Original publication

    • A well-planned vegan diet is associated with lower risk of several chronic diseases, but the evidence does not show a clear difference in overall mortality, and poorly planned vegan diets carry nutritional risks.

41. Beef

    reviewed

    164 m² per 100 g protein

    Global average · 2018

    Published per-protein land allocation, OWID version accessed 2026-09-06. This uses the study’s protein basis, not cooked USDA nutrient composition.

    Source: Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers · Original publication

    • Poore & Nemecek estimate livestock uses 83% of the world's agricultural land while supplying under a fifth of its calories.

42. Lamb

    reviewed

    185 m² per 100 g protein

    Global average · 2018

    Published per-protein land allocation, OWID version accessed 2026-09-06. This uses the study’s protein basis, not cooked USDA nutrient composition.

    Source: Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers · Original publication

    • Poore & Nemecek estimate livestock uses 83% of the world's agricultural land while supplying under a fifth of its calories.

43. Cheese

    reviewed

    40 m² per 100 g protein

    Global average · 2018

    Published per-protein land allocation, OWID version accessed 2026-09-06. This uses the study’s protein basis, not cooked USDA nutrient composition.

    Source: Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers · Original publication

    • Poore & Nemecek estimate livestock uses 83% of the world's agricultural land while supplying under a fifth of its calories.

44. Chicken

    reviewed

    7.1 m² per 100 g protein

    Global average · 2018

    Published per-protein land allocation, OWID version accessed 2026-09-06. This uses the study’s protein basis, not cooked USDA nutrient composition.

    Source: Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers · Original publication

    • Poore & Nemecek estimate livestock uses 83% of the world's agricultural land while supplying under a fifth of its calories.

45. Eggs

    reviewed

    5.7 m² per 100 g protein

    Global average · 2018

    Published per-protein land allocation, OWID version accessed 2026-09-06. This uses the study’s protein basis, not cooked USDA nutrient composition.

    Source: Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers · Original publication

    • Poore & Nemecek estimate livestock uses 83% of the world's agricultural land while supplying under a fifth of its calories.

46. Lentils (other pulses proxy)

    reviewed

    7.3 m² per 100 g protein

    Global average · 2018

    Published per-protein land allocation, OWID version accessed 2026-09-06. This uses the study’s protein basis, not cooked USDA nutrient composition.

    Source: Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers · Original publication

    • Poore & Nemecek estimate livestock uses 83% of the world's agricultural land while supplying under a fifth of its calories.

47. Tofu

    reviewed

    2.2 m² per 100 g protein

    Global average · 2018

    Published per-protein land allocation, OWID version accessed 2026-09-06. This uses the study’s protein basis, not cooked USDA nutrient composition.

    Source: Reducing food's environmental impacts through producers and consumers · Original publication

    • Poore & Nemecek estimate livestock uses 83% of the world's agricultural land while supplying under a fifth of its calories.

48. Area of a tennis court

    sample

    261 m²

    Reference · 2024

    23.77 m by 10.97 m, the singles and doubles playing surface. Run-off space around the court is excluded.

    Source: Rules of Tennis: dimensions of the court · Original publication

49. Area of a football pitch

    sample

    7140 m²

    Reference · 2024

    105 m by 68 m, the standard size for international matches. The Laws permit 100–110 m by 64–75 m, so real pitches vary by roughly a fifth either way.

    Source: Laws of the Game: the field of play · Original publication

50. Emissions from driving an average petrol car

    sample

    0.17 kg CO₂e per km

    United Kingdom · 2024

    UK fleet average, well-to-wheel. A specific car, or a fuller one, will differ.

    Source: UK government greenhouse gas reporting: conversion factors · Original publication

51. Emissions from one economy return short-haul flight

    sample

    300 kg CO₂e per passenger

    United Kingdom · 2024

    Order-of-magnitude figure for a European return trip including radiative forcing. Route and load factor change it substantially.

    Source: UK government greenhouse gas reporting: conversion factors · Original publication

52. Water used by an eight-minute shower

    sample

    65 litres

    United Kingdom · 2013

    About 8 litres a minute. A power shower can use several times this.

    Source: At Home with Water · Original publication

53. Red meat bought per person each week

    sample

    220 g per person per week

    United Kingdom · 2014

    Household purchases, not intake. Sample figure pending verification against the published series.

    Source: Family Food: UK household purchases · Original publication

54. Red meat bought per person each week

    sample

    196 g per person per week

    United Kingdom · 2019

    Household purchases, not intake. Sample figure pending verification against the published series.

    Source: Family Food: UK household purchases · Original publication

55. Red meat bought per person each week

    sample

    174 g per person per week

    United Kingdom · 2024

    Household purchases, not intake. Sample figure pending verification against the published series.

    Source: Family Food: UK household purchases · Original publication

56. Rise in vegetarian meal sales when vegetarian options doubled, observational

    sample

    15 percentage points

    United Kingdom · 2019

    Going from a quarter to a half of options. Observational arm, across 94,644 meals.

    Source: Impact of increasing vegetarian availability on meal selection and sales in cafeterias · Original publication

    • Increasing the share of plant-based options on a menu increases the share of plant-based meals sold, without reducing total sales.

57. Rise in vegetarian meal sales when vegetarian options doubled, experimental

    sample

    7.8 percentage points

    United Kingdom · 2019

    The experimental arm of the same study. About half the observational estimate, which is the honest figure to plan with.

    Source: Impact of increasing vegetarian availability on meal selection and sales in cafeterias · Original publication

    • Increasing the share of plant-based options on a menu increases the share of plant-based meals sold, without reducing total sales.

58. Odds of a vegetarian choice when availability doubled

    sample

    2.6 odds ratio

    France · 2023

    Source: Increasing vegetarian availability in a French university restaurant

    • Increasing the share of plant-based options on a menu increases the share of plant-based meals sold, without reducing total sales.

59. Diners who noticed the menu had changed

    sample

    6 %

    France · 2023

    The change that worked was the one almost nobody saw.

    Source: Increasing vegetarian availability in a French university restaurant

    • Increasing the share of plant-based options on a menu increases the share of plant-based meals sold, without reducing total sales.

60. More often chosen under a flavour label than a health-restrictive one

    sample

    41 %

    United States · 2019

    Identically prepared vegetables. The food did not change; only the words did.

    Source: Increasing vegetable intake by emphasizing tasty and enjoyable attributes

    • Naming a dish for its flavour rather than for what it lacks or for its health properties increases how often it is chosen, with the food unchanged.

61. More often chosen under a flavour label than a basic one

    sample

    25 %

    United States · 2019

    Source: Increasing vegetable intake by emphasizing tasty and enjoyable attributes

    • Naming a dish for its flavour rather than for what it lacks or for its health properties increases how often it is chosen, with the food unchanged.