A recent study that looked into rat populations around the world found that 69% of the major cities they observed had “significant” increases in their rat population throughout the study.
The study measured 16 cities for between 7 and 17 years (on average 12.2 years):
- Washington, D.C.
- San Francisco
- Toronto
- New York City
- Amsterdam
- Oakland
- Buffalo
- Chicago
- Boston
- Kansas City
- Cincinnati
- Dallas
- St. Louis
- Tokyo
- Louisville
- New Orleans
Of those 16, 11 cities (69%) saw their rat population increase!
How does D.C. have the world’s fastest-growing rat population?
According to the study, which observed public rat complaints and reports from municipal inspections, Washington D.C.’s rat population was far and away the fastest growing in the world.
The study determined that rat sightings in D.C. multiplied by 12.5 times, far more than any other observed city.
Other cities with the fastest-growing rat populations
- Washington, D.C. – Over 12.5x increase
- San Francisco – Around 1ox increase
- Toronto – Around 8x increase
- New York City – Around 8x increase
- Amsterdam – Over 7.5x increase
- Oakland – Around 7x increase
- Buffalo – Around 7x increase
- Chicago – Around 4.5x increase
- Boston – Around 4x increase
- Kansas City – Around 2.5x increase
Why is D.C.’s rat population growing so quickly?
According to the study, global rat populations have grown rapidly because of issues like climate change, urbanization, and growing human populations.
However, the rat population’s explosion in Washington, D.C. took off during the COVID-19 epidemic.
According to an interview with the District’s lead “rat control officer”, Gerard Brown, the influx of people eating at home during the pandemic surprisingly led to an increase in food waste piling up in trashcans and dumpsters around the city.
The increased food availability and the reduced number of people on the street to disrupt the rat population created what Gerard Brown called a “rat baby boom”.