Share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: Share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems was 82.7% in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
82.7%
Change on year
up 5.2%
World rank
8th
of 29 countries
All-time high
82.7%
in 2025
All-time low
12.2%
in 1996
Years of data
30
1996–2025

Share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems in United Kingdom, 1996–2025

204060801996201020251996: 12.2 %1997: 15.2 %1998: 20.6 %1999: 25.1 %2000: 27.9 %2001: 29.5 %2002: 30.7 %2003: 30.6 %2004: 34.4 %2005: 36.7 %2006: 37.3 %2007: 38.2 %2008: 41.6 %2009: 45.4 %2010: 50 %2011: 51.2 %2012: 51.4 %2013: 49.4 %2014: 48 %2015: 48.9 %2016: 50.2 %2017: 52 %2018: 55.7 %2019: 57.7 %2020: 59.6 %2021: 64.6 %2022: 71.9 %2023: 76.9 %2024: 78.6 %2025: 82.7 %

Source: European Commission (2026) and other sources – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

United Kingdom recorded 82.7% for share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems in 2025. That is the highest value across all 30 years on record.

That represents a change of up 5.2% on the previous year and up 69.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems in United Kingdom peaked at 82.7% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 12.2%, in 1996.

United Kingdom ranks 8th of 29 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 30 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 18.3% 12.2% 25.1% 4
2000s 35.2% 27.9% 45.4% 10
2010s 51.4% 48.0% 57.7% 10
2020s 72.4% 59.6% 82.7% 6

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 5 Denmark 90.2% compare
  2. 6 Netherlands 85.2% compare
  3. 7 Slovenia 85.2% compare
  4. 9 Finland 81.0% compare
  5. 11 France 69.9% compare

See the full ranking of 29 places →

More reference data data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems in United Kingdom?
Share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems in United Kingdom was 82.7% 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 United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 82.7% in 2025.
What is the lowest share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 12.2% in 1996.
How does United Kingdom rank for share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems?
United Kingdom ranks 8th out of 29 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is up 69.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom 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 — 30 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems
Unit
%
Source
European Commission (2026) and other sources – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
29 places, 391 data points, 1996–2025
Last refreshed

Cage-free housing systems include barns and free-range (non-organic and organic) farms.