There are an estimated 20 quadrillion ants on Earth, far outnumbering the number of people on the planet, a study has found.
The study revealed there are 20,000,000,000,000,000 ants on Earth, compared to a human population estimated to reach 8 billion by November, per the United Nations. The numbers mean there are an estimated 2.5 million times more ants than people.
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The findings were published by researchers from Australia, Germany, and Hong Kong in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The researchers came to their estimate by analyzing 489 studies from around the world that looked at ant populations in different regions and habitats.
One of the researchers, Dr. Mark Wong, a Forrest fellow from the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Western Australia, said the findings show the massive number of ants that enrich the Earth’s natural ecosystems.
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“We found that there are literally tons of ants on Earth, which really underscores their ecological value,” Wong said in a press release. “Not only are ants manifold in number, but also in their ecological roles. They are prey for some animals, predators of many others and are especially important as seed dispersers, soil churners and scavengers. From the Saharan desert to the Amazonian rainforest and even our kitchen floors, we have 20 quadrillion ants to thank for keeping the planet clean and healthy.”
