Humans and domestic animals dominate the world’s mammal biomass

The estimates presented by Our World in Data assign about 95% of mammal biomass to humans, livestock, and pets, leaving roughly 5% to wild mammals.

Biomass means combined weight, not the number of species or individuals. The distinction matters: a small number of large animals can outweigh many small ones, and a biomass chart cannot substitute for a full measure of biodiversity.

Even with that limitation, the comparison makes the scale of domestication unusually tangible. Livestock production has reshaped the mammal world to a degree that everyday encounters with pets, farms, and wildlife rarely convey. The article discusses the assumptions behind estimating animals that cannot all be counted directly, making it a useful companion to the arresting graphic rather than merely a surprising percentage.