Share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems in Belgium
Belgium: Share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems was 66.0% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems in Belgium, 2011–2024
Source: European Commission (2026) and other sources – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Belgium recorded 66.0% for share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems in 2024. That is the highest value across all 13 years on record.
That represents a change of up 1.0% on the previous year and up 67.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems in Belgium peaked at 66.0% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 19.9%, in 2011.
That places Belgium 13th out of 29 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 13 years of available data.
Share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems in Belgium, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 19.9% | — |
| 2012 | 34.7% | +74.3% |
| 2013 | 39.4% | +13.6% |
| 2014 | 39.4% | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 50.0% | +26.8% |
| 2017 | 60.7% | +21.5% |
| 2018 | 63.3% | +4.3% |
| 2019 | 62.8% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 62.8% | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 63.8% | +1.5% |
| 2022 | 63.0% | -1.2% |
| 2023 | 65.3% | +3.7% |
| 2024 | 66.0% | +1.0% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 66.0% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 58.2%, 1.1× the median. (27 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 66.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 58.0%, 1.1× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems in Belgium changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | +74.3% | 19.9% | 34.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 46.3% | 19.9% | 63.3% | 8 |
| 2020s | 64.2% | 62.8% | 66.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More reference data data for Belgium
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9298 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.291 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 2.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.1382 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 2.09 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.12 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.93 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.61 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 10.4 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.7526 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems in Belgium?
- Share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems in Belgium was 66.0% in 2024, according to European Commission (2026) and other sources – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 66.0% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.9% in 2011.
- How does Belgium rank for share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems?
- Belgium ranks 13th out of 29 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 67.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from European Commission (2026) and other sources – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 13 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Cage-free housing systems include barns and free-range (non-organic and organic) farms.