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
Share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems in United Kingdom, 1996–2025
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.
Share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 12.2% | — |
| 1997 | 15.2% | +24.4% |
| 1998 | 20.6% | +35.3% |
| 1999 | 25.1% | +21.6% |
| 2000 | 27.9% | +11.3% |
| 2001 | 29.5% | +5.9% |
| 2002 | 30.7% | +4.0% |
| 2003 | 30.6% | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 34.4% | +12.4% |
| 2005 | 36.7% | +6.7% |
| 2006 | 37.3% | +1.6% |
| 2007 | 38.2% | +2.5% |
| 2008 | 41.6% | +8.8% |
| 2009 | 45.4% | +9.1% |
| 2010 | 50.0% | +10.1% |
| 2011 | 51.2% | +2.5% |
| 2012 | 51.4% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 49.4% | -3.9% |
| 2014 | 48.0% | -2.9% |
| 2015 | 48.9% | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 50.2% | +2.5% |
| 2017 | 52.0% | +3.6% |
| 2018 | 55.7% | +7.1% |
| 2019 | 57.7% | +3.6% |
| 2020 | 59.6% | +3.3% |
| 2021 | 64.6% | +8.4% |
| 2022 | 71.9% | +11.4% |
| 2023 | 76.9% | +6.9% |
| 2024 | 78.6% | +2.2% |
| 2025 | 82.7% | +5.2% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 82.7% is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 58.2%, 1.4× the median. (27 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 82.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 58.0%, 1.4× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of egg-laying hens in cage-free systems in United Kingdom 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | +35.3% | 15.2% | 20.6% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | 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
More reference data data for United Kingdom
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.13 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.97 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 13.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.01 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 13.26 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 10.5 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 6.51 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 15.81 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 59.34 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 5.48 (2050)
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
Cage-free housing systems include barns and free-range (non-organic and organic) farms.