How Many Shrimp Are There in the World? A Look at Global Shrimp Populations

Shrimp are one of the most popular seafoods worldwide, with humans consuming billions of pounds of these small crustaceans every year. But with such massive demand, many people wonder – just how many shrimp are there in the world? What are the global shrimp populations that support this huge industry? Let’s take a look at the data and estimates on global shrimp numbers.

Farmed Shrimp Populations

The vast majority of shrimp consumed nowadays are farmed rather than wild-caught. In fact, shrimp aquaculture has boomed over the past few decades into a massive industry producing millions of metric tons annually.

Current estimates suggest there are between 300 to 620 billion farmed shrimp slaughtered per year globally, with a mean estimate of around 440 billion. The most commonly farmed shrimp species is the Whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus vannamei), representing over 80% of production.

Accounting for mortality rates during the shrimp farming process, at any given moment there are likely between 150 to 370 billion farmed shrimp alive worldwide, with a mean estimate of about 230 billion. This staggering number surpasses any other estimates of live farmed animal populations including chickens pigs, or even insects.

So the farmed shrimp industry maintains standing populations well into the hundreds of billions representing a huge scale of animal life. However, wild shrimp may still outnumber their farmed counterparts.

Wild Shrimp Populations

Estimating global populations of wild shrimp is more difficult given their vast natural habitats spanning all tropical and temperate oceans. But looking at fishing catch data gives a sense of just how abundant some shrimp species are.

The species making up the majority of wild catches is the akiami paste shrimp (Acetes japonicus). This tiny shrimp constitutes a whopping 70-90% of all wild-caught shrimp globally – from 3.6 to 50 trillion individuals per year. They are caught in massive quantities in Asia to produce shrimp paste and other products.

Adding up other wild shrimp species, the total global wild shrimp catch is likely between 6.5 to 66 trillion per year. So even on the low end, there are billions more wild shrimp caught than there are shrimp farmed annually. Their natural populations in the oceans clearly number in the trillions at minimum.

Shrimp Production in Perspective

With combined farmed and wild populations totaling over 300 billion to several trillion, shrimp are likely the most abundant animal species utilized by humans.

For perspective, current estimates suggest there are:

• 19 billion chickens alive at any time globally
• Under 200 billion farmed fish slaughtered per year
• 100 billion or so insects alive on insect farms

So shrimp vastly outnumber the population of even the most abundant livestock species like chickens and pigs. They also far surpass the total populations of other more “exotic” animal industries like crickets or mealworms.

This speaks to the massive scale of global shrimp fisheries and farming required to support over 7 million tons of production per year. We are harvesting shrimp by the hundreds of billions annually from the oceans and farms.

Shrimp Population Trends

Looking forward, will shrimp populations and production continue expanding? Here are some key trends that give insight into the future:

• Aquaculture expansion – Shrimp farming capacity continues to increase globally, especially in Asia and South America. This points to larger farmed shrimp populations in the future.

• Fishing pressure – Wild catches are plateauing as fisheries reach their limits. Further growth of wild shrimp supplies may be difficult.

• Demand growth – Market demand for shrimp is still rising quickly, especially in developing countries. This will likely spur more shrimp farming.

• Sustainability concerns – Issues like mangrove destruction and disease outbreaks constrain the growth potential for shrimp farming. But these do not appear to be limiting yet.

Overall, it seems likely that 10 years from now there could be 50-100% more farmed shrimp alive at any given time compared to current populations. However, sustainability issues could begin curbing growth rates if the industry does not make changes.

Wild shrimp populations are probably nearer to their peak due to fishing limits. Barring major collapses, they may remain around current levels or potentially even decrease.

The Takeaway

Shrimp are undeniably one of the most ubiquitous and abundant animals on the planet, with combined farmed and wild populations numbering well into the trillions. We harvest shrimp in quantities far exceeding any other animal.

And the shrimp farming industry in particular now maintains permanent populations of these animals numbering in the hundreds of billions – a scale that we rarely think about. The sheer enormity of global shrimp numbers is a testament to their popularity on dinner plates around the world. But it also raises questions about the sustainability and ethics of harvesting shrimp at such a massive scale.