EU statistics on animal experimentation 2023
- Press release
The latest statistics on animals used for scientific purposes published by the European Commission reveal that approximately 9.1 million animals were subjected to harmful experiments across Europe in 2023. Norway accounts for the highest number, with around 1.6 million animals (16.5% of the total), followed by France with 1.5 million and Germany with over 1.2 million. Overall, the data point to persistently high levels of animal use across Europe. Particularly concerning is the continued failure to consistently implement already validated non-animal methods, underscoring a serious gap between scientific progress and regulatory practice.
Across the EU and Norway, 7,974,226 animals were used for the first time in experiments in 2023, with an additional 102,369 animals being reused, bringing the number of animals directly subjected to experiments to 8,076,595. Beyond those, 330,458 animals were used in the creation of genetically modified lines, alongside 666,555 animals used for the maintenance of such lines, marking a 30% increase compared to the previous year. Taken together, a total of 9,073,608 animals were used.
A key limitation of the EU statistics is that they do not capture all animals killed for scientific purposes. In individual Member States, national data collection also includes animals used for organ harvesting or those bred as so-called “surplus” but never used in experiments. For example, national figures from Germany indicate that a substantial proportion of animals – around 42% – are not reflected in the EU totals. This suggests that the actual number of animals affected across Europe is likely to be significantly higher than reported, pointing to a serious gap in transparency and oversight.
Mice remained the most widely used animals in experiments in 2023, with over 3.5 million individuals, followed by fish (more than 2.8 million) and rats (over 570,000). At the same time, many other species were subjected to procedures involving suffering and death. A total of 8,352 dogs were used – only slightly fewer than in 2022. Particularly concerning are the sharp increases in the use of certain species: the number of cats rose by around 30% (from 1,409 to 1,840), while the category of “other carnivores” surged more than sixfold (from 840 to 5,154). The use of cephalopods also increased markedly, from 2,676 to 7,055 animals, and the use of sea bass increased from 116,706 to 389,438 from 2022 to 2023.
A slight decline was observed in the use of primates, with 5,836 animals used for the first time in 2023 – a reduction of 24% compared to 7,650 in the previous year. However, these animals are still predominantly subjected to highly invasive and severe procedures, including toxicity testing and long-term brain research. France remains the largest user of primates, with 3,459 animals, followed by Germany with 1,665.
Compared to 2022, the number of animals used for the first time in the EU and Norway fell by just 4.9% in 2023 – a marginal reduction that falls far short of expectations given the rapid expansion and proven potential of advanced non-animal research methods.
The proportion of procedures classified as “severe” decreased only marginally to 8.7% in 2023, meaning that more than 703,000 animals were subjected to extreme suffering. This figure must be interpreted with caution, as severity levels are self-reported by researchers in project applications, raising concerns that the actual level of suffering may be underestimated. In recent years, the share of severe procedures has consistently remained between 9% and 11%, indicating little meaningful progress in reducing the most harmful forms of animal experimentation.
The mouse ascites method for antibody production is a severe, highly painful procedure, for which almost 36,000 mice were used and killed in 2023 – despite the availability of superior, animal-free methods for the same purpose. France accounted for 98.5% of all animals used for the ascites method. The ongoing use of this method highlights a clear failure to replace avoidable animal suffering where suitable animal-free methods already exist.
In 2023, the largest share of animals – around 37% (3.1 million) – was used in translational and applied research, followed closely by basic research at approximately 34% (around 3 million animals), which by definition does not pursue direct practical applications. The number of animals used in regulatory testing declined by 4.6% to 1.05 million. While this continues a downward trend observed in recent years, largely driven by changes in pharmaceutical regulations, the pace of reduction has slowed considerably compared to the previous drop of around 16% between 2021 and 2022.
The reduction in rabbit use for pyrogen testing remains disappointingly limited, with only a 7% decrease in 2023 compared to 2022. This modest decline falls far short of expectations, given that the test has been scheduled for removal from the European Pharmacopoeia by 2025 and that reliable non-animal methods have been available for decades. While the phase-out is long overdue and 2025 should mark the end of this practice, 17,770 rabbits in the EU still were killed in pyrogen tests in 2023 alone. In some Member States, the situation is even worsening: Almost 7,300 animals were used in Spain – 13% more than in 2022; Ireland reported a 1165% increase and Bulgaria a 468% increase in rabbit use for pyrogen testing compared to 2018, highlighting significant inconsistencies in implementation across Europe.
Despite the availability of validated, animal-free methods for regulatory testing, an alarmingly high number of animals continue to be used. In skin sensitization tests (allergy tests), 29,365 animals were killed; in skin irritation tests, 2,816 animals; and in eye irritation tests, 334 animals – even though validated, regulatory-accepted non-animal methods are available for all three areas.
Particularly concerning is the continued rise in animal use for the testing of industrial chemicals. In 2023, 174,634 animals were used for this purpose – an increase of 15% compared to 2022
Overall, the figures point to persistently high levels of animal use, with only limited and uneven progress. Particularly troubling is the continued reliance on animal tests in areas where validated, non-animal methods are already available and accepted by regulators. Where reductions do occur, they remain too slow to reflect the rapid advances in human-relevant technologies. At the same time, increases in other sectors further undermine progress. These developments underscore the urgent need for a coherent and ambitious EU strategy to phase out animal experiments.