Human-made
1,655
billion tonnes
Living biomass
1,120
billion tonnes
1900
Human-made material went from just 3% of living biomass in 1900 to almost 150% in 2023.
The chart uses estimates of global human-made mass and living biomass from Huang and Lu (2026), measured in billions of tonnes of dry weight. Historical figures are estimates, and values after 2015 are extrapolated. The animation fills gaps between data points. Circle areas are proportional to mass, and the crossover around 2013 is approximate.