Annual statistics of animals used in Great Britain
Number of animals used in 2021
Number of animals used in 2020
Number of animals used in 2019
Number of animals used in 2018
Number of animals used in 2017
Number of animals used in 2016
Number of animals used in 2015
Number of animals used in 2014
Number of animals used in 2013
Number of animals used in 2012
Number of animals used in 2011
Number of animals used in 2010
Number of animals used in 2009
Number of animals used in 2008
Number of animals used in 2021
-
Number of procedures on animals in 2021 has increased by 6% to 3.06 million
-
Mice, fish, rats, and birds account for over 96% of all procedures
-
Cats, dogs, and primates account for 0.2% of all procedures
-
Half of these procedures were carried out by ten organisations
For a more detailed breakdown of the 2019 animal research statistics for Great Britain, read our news article.
Number of Animal Procedures in Great Britain in 2021
|
Species |
Experimental Procedures |
% |
Procedures for the Creation & Breeding of Genetically Altered Animals |
% |
Total Procedures (2021) |
% |
% change from 2020 |
|
Mice |
933,482 |
54.05% |
1,150,627 |
86.56% |
2,084,109 |
68.19% |
0.85% |
|
Fish |
258,579 |
14.97% |
165,555 |
12.45% |
424,134 |
13.88% |
12.94% |
|
Rats |
188,020 |
10.89% |
9,454 |
0.71% |
197,474 |
6.46% |
-5.34% |
|
Birds |
241,601 |
13.99% |
1,552 |
0.12% |
243,153 |
7.96% |
94.30% |
|
Other mammals |
78,427 |
4.54% |
110 |
0.01% |
78,537 |
2.57% |
-4.78% |
|
Reptiles |
9 |
0.00% |
0 |
0.00% |
9 |
0.00% |
↑ |
|
Amphibians |
8,909 |
0.52% |
1,965 |
0.15% |
10,874 |
0.36% |
50.28% |
|
Primates |
2,795 |
0.16% |
0 |
0.00% |
2,795 |
0.09% |
16.80% |
|
Cats |
155 |
0.01% |
0 |
0.00% |
155 |
0.01% |
6.16% |
|
Dogs |
4,227 |
0.24% |
0 |
0.00% |
4,227 |
0.14% |
-2.60% |
|
Horses |
10,776 |
0.62% |
0 |
0.00% |
10,776 |
0.35% |
-0.13% |
|
Total |
1,726,980 |
100% |
1,329,263 |
100% |
3,056,243 |
100% |
6.00% |
Severity of Animal Procedures in Great Britain in 2021
|
Severity |
Experimental Procedures |
% |
Procedures for the Creation & Breeding of Genetically Altered Animals |
% |
Total Procedures (2021) |
% |
Change from 2020 |
|
Sub threshold |
351,091 |
20.34% |
964,750 |
72.58% |
1,315,841 |
43.06% |
↓ |
|
Non-recovery |
72,345 |
4.19% |
1,341 |
0.10% |
73,686 |
2.41% |
↓ |
|
Mild |
861,638 |
49.91% |
306,922 |
23.09% |
1,168,560 |
38.24% |
↑ |
|
Moderate |
383,400 |
22.21% |
27,468 |
2.07% |
410,868 |
13.45% |
↑ |
|
Severe |
58,003 |
3.36% |
28,782 |
2.17% |
86,785 |
2.84% |
↓ |
|
Total |
1,726,477 |
100% |
1,329,263 |
100% |
3,055,740 |
100% |
|
Number of animals used in 2020
-
Number of procedures on animals in 2020 has decreased by 15% to 2.88 million
-
Large decrease in numbers due to various COVID-19 national lockdowns
-
Lowest number of procedures since 2004
-
Mice, fish, rats, and birds account for over 96% of all procedure
-
Cats, dogs, and primates account for 0.2% of all procedures
-
Half of these procedures were carried out by ten organisations
In 2020, animal research has been essential for developing lifesaving vaccines and treatments for Covid-19. Ferrets and macaque monkeys were used to test the safety and efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines, including the successful Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. Hamsters are being used to develop Covid-19 treatment strategies as they display a more severe form of the disease than ferrets and monkeys. Guinea pigs have also been used in regulatory research to batch-test vaccine potency.
Despite all this research to develop vaccines and treatments for Covid-19, the majority of UK research facilities carried out significantly less research than usual, due to the various national lockdowns. Therefore, the 2020 figures cannot be reasonably compared with previous statistics.
For a more detailed breakdown of the 2020 animal research statistics for Great Britain, read our news article.
Number of Animal Procedures in Great Britain in 2020
| Species | Experimental Procedures | % | Procedures for the Creation & Breeding of Genetically Altered Animals | % | Total Procedures (2020) | % | % change from 2019 |
| Mice | 827,801 | 57.35% | 1,238,834 | 86.03% | 2,066,635 | 71.68% | -17.58% |
| Fish | 189,200 | 13.11% | 186,332 | 12.94% | 375,532 | 13.02% | -21.70% |
| Rats | 198,763 | 13.77% | 9,847 | 0.68% | 208,610 | 7.24% | 21.94% |
| Birds | 123,157 | 8.53% | 1,988 | 0.14% | 125,145 | 4.34% | -5.77% |
| Other mammals | 82,328 | 5.70% | 155 | 0.01% | 82,483 | 2.86% | -3.43% |
| Reptiles | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 0% |
| Amphibians | 4,399 | 0.30% | 2,837 | 0.20% | 7,236 | 0.25% | -1.90% |
| Primates | 2,393 | 0.17% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,393 | 0.08% | -16.04% |
| Cats | 146 | 0.01% | 0 | 0.00% | 146 | 0.01% | 11.45% |
| Dogs | 4,340 | 0.30% | 0 | 0.00% | 4,340 | 0.15% | 2.67% |
| Horses | 10,790 | 0.75% | 0 | 0.00% | 10,790 | 0.37% | 2.64% |
| Total | 1,443,317 | 50.06% | 1,439,993 | 49.94% | 2,883,310 | 100% | -15.23% |
Severity of Animal Procedures in Great Britain in 2020
| Severity | Experimental Procedures | % | Procedures for the Creation & Breeding of Genetically Altered Animals | % | Total Procedures (2020) | % | Change for 2019 |
| Sub threshold | 207,471 | 14.37% | 1,052,212 | 73.07% | 1,259,683 | 43.69% | ↓ |
| Non-recovery | 98,456 | 6.82% | 1,187 | 0.08% | 99,643 | 3.46% | ↑ |
| Mild | 729,655 | 50.55% | 330,577 | 22.96% | 1,060,232 | 36.77% | ↓ |
| Moderate | 349,236 | 24.20% | 28,121 | 1.95% | 377,357 | 13.09% | ↓ |
| Severe | 58,499 | 4.05% | 27,896 | 1.94% | 86,395 | 3.00% | ↓ |
| Total | 1,443,317 | 1,439,993 | 2,883,310 |
Number of animals used in 2019
-
Number of procedures on animals in 2019 has decreased by 3% to 3.4 million
-
Lowest number of procedures since 2007
-
Mice, fish, rats, and birds account for over 96% of all procedure
-
Cats, dogs, and primates account for 0.2% of all procedures
-
Half of these procedures were carried out by ten organisations.
For a more detailed breakdown of the 2019 animal research statistics for Great Britain, read our news article.
Number of Animal Procedures in Great Britain in 2019
| Species | Experimental Procedures | % | Procedures for the Creation & Breeding of Genetically Altered Animals | % | Total Procedures (2019) | % of total | % change from 2018 |
| Mice | 1,048,759 | 60.63% | 1,458,790 | 87.25% | 2,507,549 | 73.72% | -2.36% |
| Fish | 278,860 | 16.12% | 200,721 | 12.01% | 479,581 | 14.10% | -6.76% |
| Rats | 162,669 | 9.40% | 8,400 | 0.50% | 171,069 | 5.03% | -3.84% |
| Birds | 130,682 | 7.56% | 2,126 | 0.13% | 132,808 | 3.90% | -10.29% |
| Other mammals | 85,227 | 4.93% | 187 | 0.01% | 85,414 | 2.51% | +2.68% |
| Reptiles | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | 0 | 0.00% | -100.00% |
| Amphibians | 5,729 | 0.33% | 1,647 | 0.10% | 7,376 | 0.22% | -25.29% |
| Primates | 2,850 | 0.16% | 0 | 0.00% | 2,850 | 0.08% | -11.13% |
| Cats | 131 | 0.01% | 0 | 0.00% | 131 | 0.00% | -17.61% |
| Dogs | 4,227 | 0.24% | 0 | 0.00% | 4,227 | 0.12% | -5.67% |
| Horses | 10,512 | 0.61% | 0 | 0.00% | 10,512 | 0.31% | +0.84% |
| Total | 1,729,646 | 100% | 1,671,871 | 100% | 3,401,517 | 100% | -3.36% |
Severity of Animal Procedures in Great Britain in 2019
| Severity | Experimental Procedures | % | Procedures for the Creation & Breeding of Genetically Altered Animals | % | Total Procedures (2019) | % | Change from 2018 |
| Sub threshold | 195,207 | 11.29% | 1,237,260 | 74.00% | 1,432,467 | 42.11% | ↑ |
| Non-recovery | 85,106 | 4.92% | 1,120 | 0.07% | 86,226 | 2.53% | ↓ |
| Mild | 897,498 | 51.89% | 354,815 | 21.22% | 1,252,313 | 36.82% | ↓ |
| Moderate | 479,058 | 27.70% | 45,611 | 2.73% | 524,669 | 15.42% | ↑ |
| Severe | 72,777 | 4.21% | 33,065 | 1.98% | 105,842 | 3.11% | ↓ |
| Total | 1,729,646 | 100.00% | 1,671,871 | 100.00% | 3,401,517 | 100.00% |
Number of animals used in 2018
-
Number of procedures on animals in 2018 has decreased by 7% to 3.52 million
-
Lowest number of procedures since 2007
-
Mice, fish, rats, and birds account for over 97% of all procedure
-
Cats, dogs, and primates account for 0.2% of all procedures
-
Half of these procedures were carried out by ten organisations.
For a more detailed breakdown of the 2018 animal research statistics for Great Britain, read our news article.
|
Number of Animal Procedures in Great Britain in 2018 |
|||||||
|
Species |
Experimental Procedures |
% | Procedures for the Creation & Breeding of Genetically Altered Animals | % |
Total Procedures (2018) |
% of total |
% change from 2017 |
|
Mice |
1,078,738 |
59.86% |
1,489,459 |
86.7% |
2,568,197 |
72.96% |
-7.67% |
|
Fish |
297,811 |
16.53% |
216,529 |
12.6% |
514,340 |
14.61% |
+0.05% |
|
Rats |
170,665 |
9.47% |
7,239 |
0.42% |
177,904 |
5.05% |
-26.35% |
|
Birds |
146,860 |
8.15% |
1,187 |
0.07% |
148,047 |
4.21% |
+12.15% |
|
Other mammals |
82,754 |
4.59% |
427 |
0.02% |
83,181 |
2.36% |
-10.51% |
|
Reptiles |
104 |
0.01% |
0 |
0% |
104 |
0.003% |
+13.04% |
|
Amphibians |
6,827 |
0.38% |
3,046 |
0.18% |
9,873 |
0.28% |
+4.69% |
|
Primates |
3,207 |
0.18% |
0 |
0% |
3,207 |
0.09% |
+8.34% |
|
Cats |
159 |
0.01% |
0 |
0% |
159 |
0.005% |
-19.70% |
|
Dogs |
4,481 |
0.25% |
0 |
0% |
4,481 |
0.13% |
+16.48% |
|
Horses |
10,424 |
0.58% |
0 |
0% |
10,424 |
0.30% |
-1.66% |
|
Total |
1,802,030 |
1,717,887 |
3,519,917 |
100% |
-7.11% |
||
|
Severity of Animal Procedures in Great Britain in 2018 |
||||||
|
Severity |
Experimental Procedures |
% | Procedures for the Creation & Breeding of Genetically Altered Animals | % |
Total Procedures (2018) |
Change from 2017 |
|
Sub Threshold |
186,011 |
10.3% |
1,229,656 |
71.6% |
1,415,657 (40.2%) |
↓ |
|
Non-Recovery |
90,054 |
5% |
505 |
0.03% |
90,559 (2.6%) |
↓ |
|
Mild |
961,246 |
53.3% |
409,303 |
23% |
1,370,549 (39%) |
↑ |
|
Moderate |
477,162 |
26.5% |
40,560 |
2.4% |
517,722 (14.7%) |
= |
|
Severe |
87,557 |
4.9% |
37,863 |
2.2% |
125,420 (3.6%) |
= |
Number of animals used in 2017
-
Number of procedures on animals in 2017 has decreased by 4% to 3.8 million
-
Mice, fish, rats, and birds account for over 96% of all procedure
-
Cats, dogs, and primates account for 0.2% of all procedures
-
Dog and primate use falls to 40 year low
-
A third of these procedures were carried out by ten universities.
For a more detailed breakdown of the 2017 animal research statistics for Great Britain, read our news article.
Severity of Animal Procedures in Great Britain in 2017
|
Category |
2016 |
2017 |
Change from 2016 |
|
Sub-threshold |
38.4% |
42.5% |
↑ |
|
Mild |
37.7% |
35.7% |
↓ |
|
Moderate |
16.0% |
14.5% |
↓ |
|
Severe |
3.9% |
3.6% |
↓ |
|
Non-recovery |
4.0% |
3.6% |
↓ |
Number of animals used in 2016
-
Number of procedures on animals in 2016 has decreased by 5% to 3.9 million
-
Mice, fish, rats, and birds account for over 96% of all procedure
-
Cats, dogs, and primates account for 0.2% of all procedures
-
A third of these procedures were carried out by ten universities.
For a more detailed breakdown of the 2016 animal research statistics for Great Britain, read our news article.
Number of Animal Procedures on the Most Commonly Used Species in Great Britain in 2016
|
Species |
2015 |
2016 |
Change from 2015 |
|
Mice |
3,038,167 |
2,866,435 |
↓ |
|
Fish |
561,424 |
535,819 |
↓ |
|
Rats |
268,522 |
249,389 |
↓ |
|
Birds |
141,425 |
151,403 |
↑ |
| Number of Animal Procedures on Species with Special Protections in Great Britain in 2016 | |||
|
Species |
2015 |
2016 |
Change from 2015 |
|
Dogs |
4,643 |
4,932 |
↑ |
|
Cats |
209 |
190 |
↓ |
|
Primates |
3.612 |
3,569 |
↓ |
|
Horses |
8,356 |
8,948 |
↑ |
Severity of Animal Procedures in Great Britain in 2016
|
Category |
2015 |
2016 |
Change from 2015 |
|
Sub-threshold |
33.7% |
38.4% |
↑ |
|
Mild |
45.1% |
37.7% |
↓ |
|
Moderate |
13.7% |
16.0% |
↑ |
|
Severe |
4.5% |
3.9% |
↓ |
|
Non-recovery |
3.1% |
4.0% |
↑ |
Number of animals used in 2015
-
Number of procedures on animals in 2015 has increased by 1% (compared to 2013) to 4.1 million
-
Mice, fish, rats, and birds account for over 96% of all procedure
-
Cats, dogs, and primates account for 0.2% of all procedures
For a more detailed breakdown of the 2015 animal research statistics for Great Britain, read our news article.
| Species | Experimental Procedures | Procedures for the Creation & Breeding of Genetically Altered Animals | Total Procedures (2015) | % of total |
| Mice | 1,264,501 | 1,773,666 | 3,038,167 | 73.3% |
| Fish | 293,556 | 267,868 | 561,424 | 13.6% |
| Rats | 257,665 | 10,857 | 268,522 | 6.5% |
| Birds | 140,724 | 701 | 141,425 | 3.4% |
| Other Mammals | 113,191 | 336 | 113,527 | 2.7% |
| Other Non-Mammals | 10,333 | 9,233 | 19,566 | 0.5% |
| TOTAL | 2,079,970 | 2,062,661 | 4,142,631 |
Number of animals used in 2014
-
Number of procedures on animals in 2014 has decreased by 6% to 3.87 million
-
Mice, fish, rats, and birds account for over 95% of all procedure
-
Cats, dogs, and primates account for 0.4% of all procedures
For a more detailed breakdown of the 2014 animal research statistics for Great Britain, read our news article.
Number of animals used in 2013
-
Number of procedures on animals in 2013 has increased by 0.3% to 4.12 million
-
Mice, fish, rats, and birds account for over 98% of all procedure
-
Cats, dogs, and primates account for 0.4% of all procedures
For a more detailed breakdown of the 2013 animal research statistics for Great Britain, read our news article.
Number of animals used in 2012
-
Number of procedures on animals in 2012 has increased by 8% to 4.11 million
-
Mice, fish, rats, and birds account for over 97% of all procedure
-
Cats, dogs, and primates account for 0.2% of all procedures
For a more detailed breakdown of the 2012 animal research statistics for Great Britain, read our news article.
Number of animals used in 2011
-
Number of procedures on animals in 2011 has increased by 2% to 3.79 million
For a more detailed breakdown of the 2011 animal research statistics for Great Britain, read our news article.
Number of animals used in 2010
-
Number of procedures on animals in 2010 has increased by 3% to 3.7 million
For a more detailed breakdown of the 2010 animal research statistics for Great Britain, read our news article.
Number of animals used in 2009
-
Number of procedures on animals in 2009 has decreased by 1% to 3.6 million
For a more detailed breakdown of the 2009 animal research statistics for Great Britain, read our news article.
Number of animals used in 2008
-
Number of procedures on animals in 2008 has increased by 14% to 3.66 million
For a more detailed breakdown of the 2008 animal research statistics for Great Britain, read our news article.
