All Fermi answers
Fermi #59 · Question 2

How many chicken eggs are laid worldwide every day?

Explore the official answer and the simple reasoning behind this Fermi estimate.

2QUESTION 2 OF 3

Answer & explanation

The official answer, with Fermi’s reasoning step by step.

Answer & explanation

Official answer

4,900,000,000

eggs

How to estimate it

Fermi’s official “Napkin math”

Start with the world's population, about 8 billion. How many eggs does a person eat in a week? Some have two every morning, plenty have none, and eggs hide in cakes and noodles too. Call it 4 a week.

World population
8,000,000,000
Eggs per person per week
≈ 4
8B × 4 ÷ 7
≈ 4.6 billion

Rounded assumptions may give a slightly different estimate. The official answer above is the game’s reference value.

Source calculation & reference
World hen eggs laid in 2024
≈ 1.78 trillion
Days in 2024
÷ 366
1.78 trillion ÷ 366
≈ 4.9 billion

Reference cited by Fermi: UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAOSTAT), hen eggs in shell, 2024

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