Share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems in Ireland
Ireland: Share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems was 75.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems in Ireland, 2013–2025
Source: European Commission (2026) and other sources – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Ireland recorded 75.0% for share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems in 2025. That is the highest value across all 12 years on record.
That represents a change of up 9.6% on the previous year and up 76.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems in Ireland peaked at 75.0% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 42.5%, in 2015.
Ireland ranks 10th of 29 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 12 years of available data.
Share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems in Ireland, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 43.0% | — |
| 2014 | 43.1% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 42.5% | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 44.1% | +3.6% |
| 2017 | 45.8% | +3.9% |
| 2018 | 47.8% | +4.3% |
| 2019 | 48.5% | +1.5% |
| 2021 | 51.5% | +6.3% |
| 2022 | 55.1% | +6.9% |
| 2023 | 60.8% | +10.5% |
| 2024 | 68.4% | +12.4% |
| 2025 | 75.0% | +9.6% |
Ireland compared with similar countries
- Ireland's 75.0% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 58.2%, 1.3× the median. (27 countries reporting)
- Ireland's 75.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 58.0%, 1.3× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 45.0% | 42.5% | 48.5% | 7 |
| 2020s | 62.1% | 51.5% | 75.0% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Ireland
More reference data data for Ireland
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 1.45 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 1.19 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 4.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.0921 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 4.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 4.87 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 3.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.6 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 21.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.5015 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems in Ireland?
- Share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems in Ireland was 75.0% in 2025, 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 Ireland?
- The highest recorded value was 75.0% in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems recorded in Ireland?
- The lowest recorded value was 42.5% in 2015.
- How does Ireland rank for share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems?
- Ireland ranks 10th out of 29 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems rising or falling in Ireland?
- Over the last ten years it is up 76.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Ireland 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 — 12 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.