Statistics
It's estimated that 115.3 million animals are used every year in the name of science around the world.1
In New Zealand, around 300,000 animals are used for research, testing and teaching every year. Thousands of these animals will be subject to cruel and archaic animal experiments and killed.
Animals used for science in NZ
The graph below shows the number of animals who have been used for science in NZ from 2000 - 2023.
Animals killed for science in NZ
Thousands of animals are killed during or after being used for science in NZ, this includes:
- Animals who died or were euthanised during or after manipulations.
- Animals who were killed for their tissues (this has only been monitored by the NZ Government since 2018).
The graph below shows the number of animals who have been used and killed for science in NZ from 2000 - 2023.
Additional animals killed for science in NZ
There are also additional animals who are killed - these are animals who have bred for science, never used, and are therefore killed as "excess" animals. This has only been monitored by the NZ Government since 2019.
The graph below shows the total number of animals who were killed because they were bred for science but were never used in NZ from 2019 - 2023.
We don't take these numbers lightly; each animal who has been killed matters, and we'll continue working hard to end animal experimentation once and for all — together, we are creating a world where no animal dies in the name of science
Animals used for Teaching in NZ
Every year in NZ, thousands of animals are used for teaching; in 2022 alone, over 35,000 were used for teaching. Our goal isn’t to get this down to zero – it’s to eliminate all cases that cause harm to animals!2
The table below shows the number of animals that have been used for teaching in NZ from 2016 - 2023.
Animals killed for Teaching in NZ
The NZ Government only tracks how many animals are killed per institution. There is no way to obtain the number of animals killed for teaching at an institution that uses animals for other purposes, too.
In short, we do not know exactly how many animals are killed who are used for teaching.
The best we can do is provide an overview of how many animals were used by institutions exclusively for teaching purposes and how many of those were killed via the table below. Therefore, these numbers are the certain minimum of animals killed who were used for teaching in NZ.
Learn more
You can access more information about the number of animals used for science in NZ each year below.
Statistics on years prior to 2015 can be found on the MPI website. Since 1987, the NZ Government has collected data on the annual number of animals used in research, testing, and teaching.2
How the data has been published:
- 1987 - 2013: In the annual reports of the National Animal Ethics Advisory Committee (NAEAC).
- 2014 - 2023: As standalone documents from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI).
