Foodborne illness ranges from common gastrointestinal disease to severe infections, chronic complications and death. The figures below distinguish modeled estimates, laboratory surveillance, survey responses and economic projections by geography and measurement period.
Key Foodborne Illness Statistics
The most useful headline figures span worldwide burden, U.S. estimates, surveillance and prevention behavior:
- In 2010, an estimated 600 million people worldwide became ill from unsafe food across 31 modeled hazards.
- In 2010, an estimated 420,000 people worldwide died from foodborne disease.
- In 2010, foodborne disease caused an estimated 33 million DALYs worldwide.
- In 2010, children younger than 5 accounted for an estimated 125,000 foodborne-disease deaths each year worldwide.
- In 2010, children under 5 carried 40% of the global foodborne disease burden while representing about 9% of the world population.
- In the CDC’s annual U.S. burden estimate based on a 2011 analysis, 48 million domestically acquired foodborne illnesses occurred each year.
- In the same U.S. estimate, foodborne illness caused 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths annually.
- In the CDC’s 2011 U.S. analysis, unspecified agents accounted for about 38.4 million illnesses annually.
- In 2023, FoodNet identified 29,607 laboratory-diagnosed infections in its historic catchment area.
- In 2023, FoodNet recorded 7,234 hospitalizations and 177 deaths in its historic catchment area.
- In 2024, FoodNet recorded 9,219 Salmonella infections at its surveillance sites.
- In 2024, Listeria infections had a 96.2% hospitalization percentage among reported FoodNet cases.
- In 2023, FoodNet reported 46 postdiarrheal HUS cases in people younger than 18.
- In 2023 dollars, USDA ERS estimated the total annual U.S. foodborne illness cost at $74.7161 billion.
- In the ERS model, serious illnesses with a specified pathogen represented 20% of cases but 60% of total cost.
- In 2019, 62% of surveyed U.S. adults reported owning a food thermometer.
- In 2019, 85% of thermometer owners who cooked whole chicken reported using a thermometer.
- From 2016 through 2023, solved multistate foodborne outbreaks caused 1,219 illnesses, 421 hospitalizations and 9 deaths in the United States.
Contents
- Key Foodborne Illness Statistics
- Worldwide Foodborne Illness Statistics
- U.S. Foodborne Illness Cases, Hospitalizations and Deaths
- FoodNet Pathogen Statistics and Incidence
- Foodborne Illness Hospitalization and Severe Outcomes
- Foodborne Illness Costs and Economic Burden
- Food Safety Behavior and Prevention Statistics
Worldwide Foodborne Illness Statistics
The World Health Organization’s 2010 global assessment modeled 31 foodborne hazards. It estimated 600 million illnesses, 420,000 deaths and 33 million disability-adjusted life years, with uncertainty intervals of 420–960 million cases, 310,000–600,000 deaths and 25–46 million DALYs.
These are modeled 2010 estimates, not current-year surveillance counts. The WHO assessment also estimated that children younger than 5 accounted for 125,000 foodborne-disease deaths each year and carried 40% of the global burden despite representing about 9% of the world population.
| Global measure | WHO 2010 estimate | Scope or uncertainty |
|---|---|---|
| Foodborne illnesses | 600 million | 95% interval: 420–960 million |
| Deaths | 420,000 | 95% interval: 310,000–600,000 |
| DALYs | 33 million | 95% interval: 25–46 million |
Source: Foodborne disease estimates, 2015 edition. The WHO assessment covers 31 hazards, and its figures should not be presented as current-year surveillance.
U.S. Foodborne Illness Cases, Hospitalizations and Deaths
The CDC’s annual U.S. burden estimate, based on its 2011 analysis, puts domestically acquired foodborne illness at 48 million illnesses, 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths each year. The estimate includes known pathogens and unspecified agents; its approximately 36–63 million range is a 90% credible interval for illnesses.
The familiar “1 in 6 Americans” wording is a rounded communication of the 48-million estimate, not an independently measured individual risk. CDC’s known-pathogen analysis covered 31 pathogens, while unspecified agents include unidentified microbes, chemicals and other substances.
| CDC annual U.S. estimate | Total | Known pathogens |
|---|---|---|
| Illnesses | 48 million | 9.4 million |
| Hospitalizations | 128,000 | 55,961 |
| Deaths | 3,000 | 1,351 |
The CDC estimated that unspecified agents caused about 38.4 million illnesses annually. The known-pathogen figures are a component of the total, so they should not be added to the total as separate cases.
Source: Burden of Foodborne Illness: Findings. These are published modeled estimates based on the 2011 analysis, not real-time counts from death certificates or national case reporting.
FoodNet Pathogen Statistics and Incidence
FoodNet provides active surveillance rather than a national total. In 2023, it identified 29,607 infections, 7,234 hospitalizations and 177 deaths in its historic catchment area, and international travel was associated with 15% of cases.
FoodNet’s 2024 pathogen counts show how the burden differs by organism:
| Pathogen | Infections | Hospitalizations | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salmonella | 9,219 | 2,769 | 63 |
| Campylobacter | 4,312 | 929 | 27 |
| Shigella | 4,057 | 1,380 | 15 |
| STEC | 3,635 | 809 | 21 |
| Yersinia | 1,782 | 443 | 16 |
| Vibrio | 720 | 179 | 6 |
| Cyclospora | 717 | 62 | 3 |
| Listeria | 182 | 175 | 27 |
The 2024 FoodNet incidence rates were 17.78 per 100,000 for Salmonella, 8.32 for Campylobacter, 7.83 for Shigella, 7.01 for STEC, 1.39 for Vibrio and 0.35 for Listeria. Campylobacter’s 2024 data use culture diagnosis only, which limits direct comparison with earlier years.
Source: FoodNet Fast: Pathogen Case Counts – 2024. FoodNet covers about 16% of the U.S. population, counts laboratory-diagnosed infections and includes domestic and travel-associated cases.
Foodborne Illness Hospitalization and Severe Outcomes
Hospitalization percentages highlight why case counts alone do not describe severity. In 2024 FoodNet data, Listeria had a 96.2% hospitalization percentage, compared with 30.0% for Salmonella and 34.0% for Shigella among reported laboratory-diagnosed cases.
- FoodNet recorded 182 Listeria infections, 175 hospitalizations and 27 deaths in 2024; the small count is sensitive to random variation.
- FoodNet recorded 9,219 Salmonella infections, 2,769 hospitalizations and 63 deaths in 2024.
- FoodNet recorded 4,057 Shigella infections, 1,380 hospitalizations and 15 deaths in 2024.
- Cyclospora had a 44.2% international-travel association percentage among reported FoodNet cases in 2024; travel association is not proof that infection was acquired abroad.
FoodNet also reported 46 postdiarrheal hemolytic uremic syndrome cases in people younger than 18 during 2023. Of those pediatric cases, 24 occurred in children younger than 5, and HUS is a monitored complication of STEC infection rather than a measure of all STEC infections.
Source: Reported Incidence of Infections Caused by Pathogens Transmitted Commonly Through Food: FoodNet, 1996–2023 and FoodNet Fast: Pathogen Case Counts – 2024.
Foodborne Illness Costs and Economic Burden
USDA Economic Research Service estimates put the total U.S. foodborne illness cost at $74.7161 billion in 2023 dollars. The estimate is a model that incorporates uncertainty and excludes nonfinancial pain and suffering except where reflected in valuation assumptions.
ERS estimated 47,780,837 total cases, including 9,388,133 cases from 31 major pathogens and 38,392,704 cases of other foodborne gastroenteritis with no specified pathogen. Serious illnesses with a specified pathogen represented 20% of cases but 60% of total cost, while other gastroenteritis represented 80% of cases and 40% of cost.
| Pathogen | Estimated cases | Total cost in 2023 dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Nontyphoidal Salmonella | 1,027,561 | $17.127 billion |
| Campylobacter | 845,024 | $11.3273 billion |
| Toxoplasma gondii | 86,753 | $5.7193 billion |
| Listeria monocytogenes | 1,583 | $3.9643 billion |
| Norovirus | 5,461,731 | $2.9683 billion |
The ERS mean per-case cost for total U.S. foodborne illness was $1,564. Across pathogens, modeled mean cost ranged from $196 for Bacillus cereus to $4.566667 million for Vibrio vulnificus, reflecting sharply different severity and chronic-outcome patterns.
Source: Cost Estimates of Foodborne Illnesses. These modeled 2023-dollar figures should not be compared directly with earlier ERS releases because scope and chronic-outcome modeling changed.
Food Safety Behavior and Prevention Statistics
The FDA’s 2019 Food Safety and Nutrition Survey measured self-reported behavior and awareness among U.S. adults aged 18 and older. It received 4,398 responses through a weighted probability survey, so these figures describe reported practices rather than observed contamination or illness.
In 2019, 62% of surveyed adults reported owning a food thermometer. Among thermometer owners who cooked each food, reported thermometer use varied substantially:
| Food cooked | Reported thermometer use |
|---|---|
| Whole chicken | 85% |
| Beef, lamb or pork roasts | 79% |
| Chicken parts | 40% |
| Burgers | 36% |
| Egg dishes | 23% |
| Frozen meals | 20% |
Awareness also differed by germ. FDA’s survey found awareness of Salmonella at 97%, E. coli at 88%, Campylobacter at 7% and Vibrio at 4%; awareness is not infection prevalence or proof of accurate knowledge.
Finally, CDC’s summary of solved multistate foodborne outbreaks from 2016 through 2023 counted 1,219 illnesses, 421 hospitalizations and 9 deaths. Those figures cover investigated solved multistate events, not all outbreaks or sporadic foodborne cases.
Sources: 2019 Food Safety and Nutrition Survey Report and Summary of Possible Multistate Enteric Disease Outbreaks in 2023.