Laying hens in cages and cage-free housing in France

France: Laying hens in cages and cage-free housing was 17.58 million hens in 2023. ▼ Falling

Latest (2023)
17.58 million hens
Change on year
up 8.8%
World rank
4th
of 29 countries
All-time high
31.81 million hens
in 2017
All-time low
16.16 million hens
in 2022
Years of data
5
2017–2023

Laying hens in cages and cage-free housing in France, 2017–2023

010.0M20.0M30.0M2017202020232017: 31.8M hens2018: 28.3M hens2019: 26.1M hens2022: 16.2M hens2023: 17.6M hens

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

Analysis

In 2023, laying hens in cages and cage-free housing in France stood at 17.58 million hens.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.8% on the previous year and down 44.7% over ten years.

France ranks 4th of 29 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 28.72 million hens 26.09 million hens 31.81 million hens 3
2020s 16.87 million hens 16.16 million hens 17.58 million hens 2

Countries ranked near France

  1. 1 United States 164.80 million hens compare
  2. 2 Poland 33.35 million hens compare
  3. 3 Spain 28.24 million hens compare
  4. 5 Italy 14.68 million hens compare
  5. 6 United Kingdom 7.38 million hens compare
  6. 7 Portugal 6.00 million hens compare

See the full ranking of 29 places →

More reference data data for France

All data for France →

Frequently asked questions

What is laying hens in cages and cage-free housing in France?
Laying hens in cages and cage-free housing in France was 17.58 million hens in 2023, 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 France?
The highest recorded value was 31.81 million hens in 2017.
What is the lowest laying hens in cages and cage-free housing recorded in France?
The lowest recorded value was 16.16 million hens in 2022.
How does France rank for laying hens in cages and cage-free housing?
France ranks 4th out of 29 countries with data for 2023.
Is laying hens in cages and cage-free housing rising or falling in France?
Over the last ten years it is down 44.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this France 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 — 5 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.