How Long Do Pigs Live? Natural Lifespan of Domestic Pigs

Natural lifespan of a domestic pig

Pigs kept as companions, on sanctuaries or on small farms where they are not slaughtered can live as long as many dogs or longer. A typical natural lifespan is about 15–20 years. The longest-lived pigs reach their twenties, and the AnAge longevity database gives a maximum recorded lifespan of 27 years for Sus scrofa, the species that includes both the wild boar and, in many classifications, the domestic pig. That record belongs to a captive wild boar of the Ryukyu Islands subspecies, not to a farm breed.

How long an individual pig lives depends on its breed, size, diet, housing and health care. Large commercial breeds have been selected to grow very fast and very heavy. If kept for many years, they can reach weights of several hundred kilograms, and that heavy body puts great strain on the legs and joints. Smaller, slower-growing breeds often cope better with old age.

Farm pigs: why most live only a few months

On modern farms, the lifespan of a pig is set by its role, not by biology:

A piglet weighs about 1–1.5 kg (2.2–3.3 lb) at birth and grows at a remarkable pace. By five to seven months, most market pigs weigh roughly 100–135 kg (220–300 lb) and are sent for slaughter, as explained in How much does a pig weigh?. This means the average farm pig lives only a few percent of its potential lifespan.

Breeding sows live longer because they are kept to produce litters. A gilt (a young female) is usually first bred at around seven to eight months old and gives birth about 114 days later. Sows on commercial farms commonly have a few litters and are then replaced, often when their litter sizes fall or they develop leg problems.

How long do pot-bellied and other small pigs live?

Small breeds such as the Vietnamese pot-bellied pig and the Kunekune of New Zealand are often kept as companion animals, so many of them are allowed to reach old age. They commonly live into their mid or late teens, and some live past 20.

These “mini” pigs are not always as small as people expect. There is no recognized breed of “teacup” pig, and many pigs sold as miniatures grow far larger than advertised. Size and lifespan both depend more on breed and on how an animal is raised than on the label it was sold under.

The oldest pigs on record

The oldest pig recognized by Guinness World Records is Baby Jane, who lived in Mundelein, Illinois, in the United States. She was born on 1 February 1998, was verified as the oldest living pig in April 2021, and died on 10 September 2021 at the age of 23 years and 221 days. Her owners had adopted her from a pig rescue.

There are occasional reports of pigs said to be even older, but without birth records they cannot be confirmed. As with other animals, an exceptional record does not change the normal picture: most pigs that live a natural life die somewhere between their mid teens and about 20.

How long do wild boar and feral pigs live?

The wild boar, the wild ancestor of the domestic pig, can live 10–14 years in the wild. In practice, few survive past four or five years. Young boar face predators such as wolves, and adults are heavily hunted in many countries and are often killed on roads. Harsh winters and food shortages also take a toll. In captivity, wild boar have lived about 20 years.

Feral pigs, which are domestic pigs and pig-boar hybrids that have returned to the wild, show a similar pattern. They can breed when less than a year old and have large litters, so their populations stay young, with most animals dying within their first few years.

How pig lifespans compare with other farm animals

Pigs have a natural lifespan similar to that of cattle and goats, and shorter than that of horses and donkeys. Compared with their potential lifespans, farm pigs are slaughtered at a much younger age than most other livestock.

For more detail on other farm animals, see How long do cows live? and How long do horses live?.