SeeTheScale

How does U.S. pet spending compare with the cost of fighting world hunger?

APPA reports about $158 billion in total U.S. pet-industry spending for 2024. Ceres2030 modeled that an additional $33 billion per year in targeted interventions could lift about 490 million people out of hunger by 2030. This is an illustrative comparison between consumer spending and a modeled policy investment—not a claim that redirecting pet spending alone would end all world hunger.

Data as of: APPA actuals: 2024 · Ceres2030 model: annual investment to 2030

Sources: APPA: U.S. pet industry spending · Ceres2030 / IFPRI: $33bn annual modeled investment to lift 490m people out of hunger by 2030

Millions, billions, trillions – they all sound the same. Here you see them side by side, to scale and with sources.

  • Football field
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  • Distance
  • Seconds
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About SeeTheScale

Understand huge numbers – with pictures instead of zeros

Millions, billions, trillions: beyond a certain size, all numbers sound the same. SeeTheScale turns them into comparisons you can picture – such as the wealth of the richest against an average household, CO₂ per person in the biggest emitting countries or the age of the universe against a human life.

Five views for every order of magnitude

Every comparison can be shown as a stack of paper or 100-unit bills, as an area on a football field, as counting in seconds or as bubbles side by side whose area matches the amount. That way you see how much bigger one thing really is.

With sources, rounded and made to share

The comparisons by the SeeTheScale team name their sources and the year of the data; values are rounded on purpose, because this is about orders of magnitude. Every graphic can be shared as a link or image. With an account you can vote on comparisons and create your own.

Frequently asked questions

What is SeeTheScale?

SeeTheScale is a free website that makes unimaginably large numbers tangible: two values are shown as stacks of bills, a football field, seconds or bubbles side by side, so the difference is visible at a glance.

Where do the numbers come from?

Every comparison by the SeeTheScale team names its sources – such as Our World in Data, Forbes, the Federal Reserve, SIPRI or the German federal budget – and the year of the data. Comparisons made by users link their own sources.

How exact are the values?

The values are rounded. What matters is the order of magnitude: whether something is ten, a thousand or a million times as large.

Can I create my own comparisons?

Yes. With a free account you create your own comparisons with sources, share them by link and vote on the comparisons of others.