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

The document details the significant health and economic burdens of meat consumption and livestock production, linking red and processed meats to millions of deaths from non-communicable diseases and highlighting the risks of zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance. It quantifies global healthcare costs and suggests that shifting toward plant-based diets could save trillions of dollars and millions of lives.

• Diets high in red meat were responsible for 0.9 million deaths and 23.9 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) worldwide in 2019, primarily due to diabetes, heart disease, and colorectal cancer. Total deaths and DALYs from these diets increased by over 50% between 1990 and 2019, while exposure to this risk rose by 8.3%.
• Livestock production is a major driver of 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 resulting from industrial animal agriculture is projected to cause 10 million global deaths per year by 2050 and a cumulative economic loss of USD 100 trillion in productivity.
• The economic burden of red and processed meat consumption is substantial, with global healthcare costs estimated at USD 285 billion and 2.4 million deaths in 2020. In specific countries, the costs are significant: Germany incurs EUR 50.4 billion in annual health costs (32% due to excessive meat), and China's healthcare spending is projected to increase by nearly USD 14 billion by 2030 due to a shift toward animal products.
• Livestock production contributes heavily to air pollution, which is the largest global environmental risk factor for mortality. In the US, 80% of the 15,900 annual deaths caused by food production air quality are attributable to animal-based foods. In Thailand, burning maize residues for animal feed causes PM2.5 levels three times the national standard, contributing to 34,000 premature deaths.
• Transitioning to plant-based diets offers massive potential for health and economic recovery. A global shift away from animal-sourced foods could save up to USD 7.3 trillion in avoided health burdens and ecosystem degradation costs. Adopting the EAT-Lancet planetary health diet could prevent 11 million deaths per year globally.
• Meat and dairy production account for 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The system is energy inefficient; if crops currently used for animal feed were used for direct human consumption, it would create 70% more calories and could feed an additional 4 billion people.

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} }