- The world bought 928 billion face masks at a cost of $389 billion during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to recently compiled data.
- With a global population of 8 billion, that means about 116 masks were purchased for every person alive from 2020 to 2022. News of the massive investment comes amid new research indicating that face masks may have not been effective in combating COVID.
- Statista, an online platform specializing in market and consumer data, estimated that global face mask sales, including surgical masks as well as respirators (such as the N95) and cloth masks, surged from 12.5 billion in 2019, when their use was mainly limited to medical personnel, to 378.9 billion in 2020, when the pandemic began.
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Almost 1 TRILLION Masks Bought During Pandemic Despite New Research Doubting Benefits
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 11: Dr. Anthony Fauci, White House Chief Medical Advisor and Director of the NIAID, removes his mask to give an opening statement at a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on January 11, 2022 in Washington, D.C. The committee will hear testimony about the federal response to COVID-19 and new, emerging variants. (Photo by Greg Nash-Pool/Getty Images)
