Americans spent a staggering $11 billion on survival items in just one year as a third admitted to doomsday prepping, a survey has found. 

The average prepper spent $149 on supplies in the year to April 2023 with the most common items food and water, toilet paper, medical supplies and survival kits, according Finder.

Finder surveyed 2,179 people and the one third who said they are preparing for the end of the world was a jump from the 20 per cent who admitted to taking precautions in 2020.

The image of what an end of the world disaster prepper looks like, however, has changed since the COVID-19 pandemic saw essential supplies flying off shelves and a plethora of natural disasters.

About 40 percent of Gen Z said they spent money on doomsday supplies, just beating millennials at 39 percent. 

Alexjandria Edwards, 28, keeps a bug out bag in her New York City apartment after she saw videos about emergency preparedness on social media. 

A recent survey found one third of Americans have admitted to spending money on doomsday prepping

‘It’s actually for a family of four, but I was like, “You know what? Better to be safe,'” she said of her bag to The Wall Street Journal.

Companies that specialize in making prep packs have seen increased sales over the years and mainstream popularity.

The brands Preppi and Judy, which have been listed in Oprah’s favorite things list, offer basic kits starting at about $100 to ultra advanced kits worth thousands.

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‘The core of every Preppi kit is a military grade 3-day supply of food and water with a 5 year shelf life as outlined by survival experts and government agencies,’ Preppi’s website said.

Preppi reported year-to-date sales up 29% from 2022 and Judy said their sales quadrupled in June when wildfire smoke covered the Northeast.

Preppi, a popular emergency kit brand, reported year-to-date sales up 29% from 2022

Judy, which has been listed in Oprah’s favorite things list, said their sales quadrupled in June when wildfire smoke covered the Northeast 

John Ramey, founder of self-reliance training site The Prepared, told the WSJ his audience is increasing in diversity.

‘People are becoming more and more aware of the problems in the world and how fallible things are,’ he said.

Just weeks ago New York City was hit with flooding that reached the wettest day ever recorded in the city. It cancelled flights, shut down the subway and submerged cars around the city.

The August wildfires in Hawaii became the deadliest in US history with 96 deaths and thousands displaced.

California has seen an uptick in earthquakes, with a swarm hitting Southern California in April this year.

One shook the Salton Sea region, located south of Joshua Tree, and registered as a 4.5 in magnitude on the Richter scale.