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Pigs: Numbers and General Information

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About This Page

The notes on this page provide general information about pigs, including slaughter numbers and lineage.

The metrics and other information on this page provide general information that may prove useful when discussing animal rights and veganism as it relates to pigs.

Closely related: Pigs: Injustices and Suffering | Pigs: Sentience and Cognition

Points to Consider

Ninety-eight percent of pigs in the United States are factory farmed.

  • Using data from the USDA Census of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency’s definition of concentrated animal feeding operations, the Sentience Institute determined that 98 percent of pigs in the USA are factory-farmed[1]“US Factory Farming Estimates.” Sentience Institute. Accessed 2022-06-23
  • The figures for other industrialized nations are likely to be similar.

Globally, over 2 billion pigs are slaughtered annually.

  • Globally, over 2 billion pigs are slaughtered for meat annually.[2]Derived from United Nations FAO statistics for 2017: “FAOSTAT.”

In the United States, over 121 pigs million are slaughtered annually.

  • In the United States, over 121 million are slaughtered annually.[3]Derived from United Nations FAO statistics for 2017: “FAOSTAT.”

Pigs are typically slaughtered at 5-6 months, which is less than 3 percent of their natural lifespans.

  • Slaughter age of pigs[4]Age of Animals Slaughtered.” Farm Transparency Project, October 12, 2017
    • Slaughter Age: 5-6 Months
    • Natural Lifespan: 10-12 Years
    • % of Life Lived: 3 %
    • Human Age: 3 Years

Other Useful Information

Lineage

  • Pigs were domesticated approximately 9,000 years ago from various subspecies of the Eurasian wild boar.[5]Giuffra, E., J. M. Kijas, V. Amarger, O. Carlborg, J. T. Jeon, and L. Andersson. “The Origin of the Domestic Pig: Independent Domestication and Subsequent Introgression.” Genetics 154, no. 4 … Continue reading
  • Domestication occurred separately in Europe and Asia, though there is evidence that interbreeding later took place.[6]Larson, G. “Worldwide Phylogeography of Wild Boar Reveals Multiple Centers of Pig Domestication.” Science 307, no. 5715 (March 11, 2005): 1618–21.
  • Pigs were brought to North America by Spanish explorers in the 16th century.[7]Singer, Francis J. “Wild Pig Populations in the National Parks.” Environmental Management 5, no. 3 (May 1981): 263–70.

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Footnotes

References

References
↑1 “US Factory Farming Estimates.” Sentience Institute. Accessed 2022-06-23
↑2, ↑3 Derived from United Nations FAO statistics for 2017: “FAOSTAT.”
↑4 Age of Animals Slaughtered.” Farm Transparency Project, October 12, 2017
↑5 Giuffra, E., J. M. Kijas, V. Amarger, O. Carlborg, J. T. Jeon, and L. Andersson. “The Origin of the Domestic Pig: Independent Domestication and Subsequent Introgression.” Genetics 154, no. 4 (April 2000): 1785–91.
↑6 Larson, G. “Worldwide Phylogeography of Wild Boar Reveals Multiple Centers of Pig Domestication.” Science 307, no. 5715 (March 11, 2005): 1618–21.
↑7 Singer, Francis J. “Wild Pig Populations in the National Parks.” Environmental Management 5, no. 3 (May 1981): 263–70.