Animal welfare standards and enforcement vary enormously across the world, with animals in lower-income countries often experiencing the most severe and widespread suffering. International cooperation and locally-led solutions are essential.
The geography of animal suffering is deeply inequitable. Animals in low-income countries often face conditions that would be illegal in wealthier nations: working animals treated as expendable tools, livestock slaughtered without stunning, and companion animals without access to veterinary care. The causes are complex: poverty limits resources for veterinary treatment, cultural practices may differ from welfare-centered norms, and governance capacity for animal welfare enforcement is limited. However, framing welfare as a luxury concern of wealthy nations misrepresents the evidence. Research consistently shows that animal welfare improvements in low-income settings — treating working animal injuries, improving livestock housing, adopting humane slaughter — generate economic returns through improved productivity, reduced veterinary costs, and better food safety. Effective international collaboration respects local knowledge and cultural contexts while sharing evidence-based welfare science, rather than imposing standards developed in different contexts.