The cost of livestock and meat consumption on human health and the healthcare system

This fact sheet outlines the significant health and economic costs associated with livestock production and meat consumption. It links high red and processed meat intake to increased risks of heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, noting that such diets caused 0.9 million deaths globally in 2019. The document also highlights systemic risks from industrial farming, including zoonotic diseases, antimicrobial resistance, and air pollution. Economically, it estimates that red and processed meat consumption resulted in USD 285 billion in global healthcare costs in 2020. Conversely, it argues that transitioning to plant-based diets, such as the EAT-Lancet planetary health diet, could prevent millions of deaths annually and save trillions of dollars in health and ecosystem costs.

• Diets high in red meat are linked to significant global mortality and morbidity. In 2019, such diets were responsible for 0.9 million deaths and 23.9 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) worldwide, primarily due to diabetes, heart disease, and colorectal cancer. Between 1990 and 2019, the total deaths and DALYs attributable to high red meat diets increased by more than 50%, while the level of exposure to this risk rose by 8.3%.
• The consumption of red and processed meat imposes a heavy global economic and health burden. In 2020, these foods were estimated to cause 2.4 million deaths and USD 285 billion in healthcare costs, with processed meat accounting for three-quarters of these impacts. This represents 4.4% of expected deaths and 0.3% of expected global GDP for that year.
• Industrial livestock production contributes to severe public health risks through zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance. Agricultural drivers are linked to over half of zoonotic diseases, which cause roughly 2.7 million deaths and 2.5 billion illness cases annually. Furthermore, antimicrobial resistance driven by industrial farming is projected to cause 10 million global deaths per year by 2050 and result in USD 100 trillion in productivity losses between 2016 and 2050.
• Livestock production is a major source of air pollution, leading to significant premature mortality. In the US, animal-based foods (including feed crops) are responsible for 12,700 of the 15,900 annual deaths caused by poor air quality from food production. In Thailand, burning maize residues for animal feed causes PM2.5 levels three times the national standard, contributing to 34,000 premature deaths, a figure that could reach 361,000 by 2050 if current trends continue.
• Shifting toward plant-based diets offers substantial health, economic, and environmental benefits. Adopting the EAT-Lancet planetary health diet could prevent 11 million deaths annually worldwide. A global shift away from animal-sourced foods could save up to USD 7.3 trillion in avoided ecosystem degradation and health burden costs, while also reducing emissions. In the US, a 30% reduction in red and processed meat consumption over ten years could prevent 62,200 deaths and over 1 million occurrences of type 2 diabetes.
• Specific national studies quantify the healthcare savings possible through reduced meat consumption: in the UK, a total shift to a vegan diet could save the National Health Service £18.8 billion (USD 24.4 billion) in net benefits per year. In Germany, 32% of the annual EUR 50.4 billion in total health costs are attributed to excessive meat consumption. In Brazil, reducing meat intake could save USD 74 million by 2040 in avoided healthcare costs for colorectal cancer alone.

APA

Team, Z. (2025). The cost of livestock and meat consumption on human health and the healthcare system. Zero Carbon Analytics. https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/nature/the-cost-of-livestock-and-meat-consumption-on-human-health-and-the-healthcare-system/

Chicago

Team, ZCA. The cost of livestock and meat consumption on human health and the healthcare system. Zero Carbon Analytics, 2025. https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/nature/the-cost-of-livestock-and-meat-consumption-on-human-health-and-the-healthcare-system/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Team |first1=ZCA |title=The cost of livestock and meat consumption on human health and the healthcare system |publisher=Zero Carbon Analytics |date=12 July 2025 |url=https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/nature/the-cost-of-livestock-and-meat-consumption-on-human-health-and-the-healthcare-system/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{team2025cost, author = {Team, ZCA}, title = {{The cost of livestock and meat consumption on human health and the healthcare system}}, institution = {Zero Carbon Analytics}, year = {2025}, month = jul, url = {https://zerocarbon-analytics.org/nature/the-cost-of-livestock-and-meat-consumption-on-human-health-and-the-healthcare-system/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }