Millennium Seed Bank statistics

More detailed facts and statistics from Kew's Millennium Seed Bank at Wakehurst Place...

African bamboo ( Oxytenanthera abyssinica), the billionth seed collected by the Millennium Seed Bank Project partner institution in Mali

As at the end of September the total number of seed collections banked is 50,369

The total number of plant families represented is 341 and these come from 135 different countries.

The original target of 10% was set for the Millennium Seed Bank Project in the year 2000 when the world's seed-bearing flora was estimated to be 242,000 species, of which we now hold 11.43% . However, it is now thought that there are nearer 300,000 seed-bearing species of which we currently hold 9.22% and we are on target to collect 10% by the end of the year.

The Millenium Seed Bank Project originally signed Access and Benefit Sharing Agreements with 50 partner organisations, (of which two are now dormant) representing 16 different countries. However, we have many other smaller agreements and partnerships which total 129 organisations from 57 countries.