Laying hens in cages and cage-free housing in Belgium

Belgium: Laying hens in cages and cage-free housing was 3.82 million hens in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
3.82 million hens
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
12th
of 29 countries
All-time high
6.64 million hens
in 2011
All-time low
3.70 million hens
in 2017
Years of data
13
2011–2024

Laying hens in cages and cage-free housing in Belgium, 2011–2024

02.0M4.0M6.0M2011201720242011: 6.6M hens2012: 6.0M hens2013: 5.1M hens2014: 5.1M hens2016: 3.9M hens2017: 3.7M hens2018: 3.8M hens2019: 4.0M hens2020: 4.0M hens2021: 3.9M hens2022: 4.0M hens2023: 3.8M hens2024: 3.8M hens

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

Analysis

In 2024, laying hens in cages and cage-free housing in Belgium stood at 3.82 million hens.

The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and down 25.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, laying hens in cages and cage-free housing in Belgium peaked at 6.64 million hens in 2011 and was at its lowest, 3.70 million hens, in 2017.

Belgium ranks 12th of 29 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 13 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 4.78 million hens 3.70 million hens 6.64 million hens 8
2020s 3.92 million hens 3.81 million hens 4.04 million hens 5

Countries ranked near Belgium

  1. 9 Hungary 5.42 million hens compare
  2. 10 Netherlands 4.43 million hens compare
  3. 11 Bulgaria 4.10 million hens compare
  4. 13 Greece 3.56 million hens compare
  5. 14 Czechia 3.08 million hens compare
  6. 15 Lithuania 2.63 million hens compare

See the full ranking of 29 places →

More reference data data for Belgium

All data for Belgium →

Frequently asked questions

What is laying hens in cages and cage-free housing in Belgium?
Laying hens in cages and cage-free housing in Belgium was 3.82 million hens in 2024, according to European Commission (2026) and other sources – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest laying hens in cages and cage-free housing recorded in Belgium?
The highest recorded value was 6.64 million hens in 2011.
What is the lowest laying hens in cages and cage-free housing recorded in Belgium?
The lowest recorded value was 3.70 million hens in 2017.
How does Belgium rank for laying hens in cages and cage-free housing?
Belgium ranks 12th out of 29 countries with data for 2024.
Is laying hens in cages and cage-free housing rising or falling in Belgium?
Over the last ten years it is down 25.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
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 Laying hens in cages and cage-free housing. 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

Indicator
Laying hens in cages and cage-free housing
Unit
hens
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

Includes battery and enriched cage systems.