Number of Earths Humanity Currently Uses
CURRENT TOTAL
Live Counter Notable Facts
(Data shown in the table is for 2025. Counter shows current estimate)
Earths Used
Overshoot Day
Carbon Footprint
Understanding Number of Earths Humanity Currently Uses
This counter represents humanity's ecological footprint relative to Earth's biocapacity - we currently use nature 1.7 times faster than Earth's ecosystems can regenerate. This means it takes the Earth one year and eight months to regenerate what we use in a year.
Earth Overshoot Day 2024 fell on August 1st, marking the date when humanity exhausted nature's budget for the year. From that point forward, we operated in ecological deficit, liquidating natural capital and accumulating waste, primarily carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
If everyone lived like Americans, we would need 5 Earths to sustain our consumption. German lifestyles would require 3 Earths, while Chinese lifestyles would need 2.4 Earths. Only a few countries like India (0.8 Earths) live within planetary boundaries.
Ecological Overshoot Overview
- Humanity has been in ecological overshoot since 1970, when global consumption first exceeded Earth's regenerative capacity. The deficit has grown from 1.0 Earths in 1970 to 1.7 Earths today, stabilizing around this level for the past decade but showing no signs of reduction.
- Carbon emissions from fossil fuel burning constitute 60% of humanity's Ecological Footprint, representing the fastest-growing component. This carbon footprint has increased 11-fold since 1961 and continues to rise despite renewable energy growth.
- To return to one-planet living by 2050, we must move Earth Overshoot Day back 4.5 days annually. Current progress averages less than 1 day per year, meaning we're moving 4.5 times too slowly to achieve sustainability within the required timeframe.
- The overshoot varies dramatically by country: Qatar uses 8.8 Earths worth of resources, Luxembourg 7.8, UAE 5.9, while countries like Timor-Leste (0.4), Eritrea (0.5), and Haiti (0.6) use far less than one Earth's worth of resources per capita.
Ecological Footprint Terminology
- Ecological Footprint: Measure of human demand on Earth's ecosystems
- Biocapacity: Earth's ability to regenerate resources and absorb waste
- Overshoot: Using resources faster than Earth can regenerate them
- Earth Overshoot Day: Date when annual resource consumption exceeds Earth's capacity
Earths Required by Country
- Qatar: 8.8 Earths
- Luxembourg: 7.8 Earths
- UAE: 5.9 Earths
- USA: 5.0 Earths
- Australia: 4.5 Earths
- Germany: 3.0 Earths
- China: 2.4 Earths
- World average: 1.7 Earths
Footprint Components
- Carbon: 60% of total footprint
- Cropland: 19%
- Forest products: 10%
- Grazing land: 6%
- Built-up land: 3%
- Fishing grounds: 2%
Solutions to Move the Date
- Halving carbon emissions: #MoveTheDate 93 days
- Halving food waste: #MoveTheDate 13 days
- Plant-based diet: #MoveTheDate 12 days
- Reforestation efforts: #MoveTheDate 8 days
- Compact cities: #MoveTheDate 5 days
Data Sources and References
Methodology and Data Collection
The number of Earths calculation is based on the Global Footprint Network's National Footprint Accounts, which track humanity's demand for and nature's supply of ecological resources and services using UN data sets.
The counter displays 1.7 Earths based on current global ecological footprint of 2.8 global hectares per person versus Earth's biocapacity of 1.6 global hectares per person, representing our ongoing ecological deficit.