Reference page
A practical collection of current facts about wildlife engagement, arts participation, and the art market. Every figure includes its data year and original source.
Last updated October 5, 2026
For writers, collectors, and nature-art readers
Nature-led art sits where visual culture, the outdoors, and personal collecting meet. These statistics provide useful context for stories about wildlife, art at home, collecting, creative work, and the market around original art.
01
148 million
The count includes people age 16 and older who watched wildlife around the home, away from home, or both.
Source: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, data year 202202
57%
Wildlife viewing reached more people than either fishing or hunting in the same national survey.
Source: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, data year 202203
13.0 billion
The national survey counts wildlife watching both around the home and away from home among participants age 16 and older.
Source: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, data year 202204
$250.2 billion
This total includes trip-related spending, equipment, and other wildlife-watching expenditures.
Source: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, data year 202205
$394 billion
The total reflects the scale of outdoor recreation and wildlife engagement in 2022, not wildlife viewing alone.
Source: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, 2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, data year 202206
$1.17 trillion
That represented 4.2% of U.S. gross domestic product in 2023.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account, data year 202307
5.4 million
The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis reported this employment total for 2023.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account, data year 202308
18%
The figure covers in-person attendance during the 12 months captured by the 2022 survey.
Source: National Endowment for the Arts, Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, data year 202209
12%
The National Endowment for the Arts reported this share for 2022.
Source: National Endowment for the Arts, Survey of Public Participation in the Arts, data year 202210
$59.6 billion
Global art sales rose 4% in 2025, according to the Art Basel and UBS report.
Source: Art Basel & UBS Art Market Report 2026, data year 202511
$26.0 billion
The United States accounted for 44% of global art sales by value in 2025.
Source: Art Basel & UBS Art Market Report 2026, data year 202512
$9.2 billion
Online-only sales represented 15% of the global art market in 2025.
Source: Art Basel & UBS Art Market Report 2026, data year 2025Method and sources
Figures are drawn from named public agencies and a long-running international art-market report. Each statistic keeps the source's reporting year, so the page does not blur together data collected in different years.
Sources are linked beside the relevant statistics. This page was last reviewed on October 5, 2026. It will be refreshed when a key source releases a newer figure.
Cite this page
Waylon Christner Art. “Art & Wildlife Statistics: 2026 Fact Sheet.” Updated October 5, 2026. https://waylonchristnerart.com/art-and-wildlife-statistics
Original wildlife art