Laying hens in cages and cage-free housing in United Kingdom
United Kingdom: Laying hens in cages and cage-free housing was 7.38 million hens in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
7.38 million hens
Change on year
down 17.6%
World rank
6th
of 29 countries
All-time high
38.82 million hens
in 1997
All-time low
7.38 million hens
in 2025
Years of data
29
1996–2025
Laying hens in cages and cage-free housing in United Kingdom, 1996–2025
Source: European Commission (2026) and other sources – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in hens.
Analysis
In 2025, laying hens in cages and cage-free housing in United Kingdom stood at 7.38 million hens. That is the lowest value across all 29 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 17.6% on the previous year and down 60.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, laying hens in cages and cage-free housing in United Kingdom peaked at 38.82 million hens in 1997 and was at its lowest, 7.38 million hens, in 2025.
United Kingdom ranks 6th of 29 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 29 years of available data.
Laying hens in cages and cage-free housing in United Kingdom, year by year
| Year | hens | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 36.06 million hens | — |
| 1997 | 38.82 million hens | +7.6% |
| 1998 | 31.23 million hens | -19.6% |
| 1999 | 29.10 million hens | -6.8% |
| 2000 | 27.51 million hens | -5.5% |
| 2001 | 27.67 million hens | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 26.72 million hens | -3.4% |
| 2003 | 26.06 million hens | -2.5% |
| 2004 | 24.80 million hens | -4.8% |
| 2005 | 25.61 million hens | +3.3% |
| 2006 | 23.98 million hens | -6.4% |
| 2007 | 22.39 million hens | -6.6% |
| 2008 | 20.58 million hens | -8.1% |
| 2010 | 18.75 million hens | -8.9% |
| 2011 | 18.70 million hens | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 17.81 million hens | -4.8% |
| 2013 | 18.13 million hens | +1.8% |
| 2014 | 19.32 million hens | +6.6% |
| 2015 | 18.84 million hens | -2.5% |
| 2016 | 18.89 million hens | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 18.92 million hens | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 17.61 million hens | -6.9% |
| 2019 | 17.51 million hens | -0.6% |
| 2020 | 16.07 million hens | -8.2% |
| 2021 | 14.37 million hens | -10.6% |
| 2022 | 11.35 million hens | -21.0% |
| 2023 | 9.48 million hens | -16.5% |
| 2024 | 8.96 million hens | -5.5% |
| 2025 | 7.38 million hens | -17.6% |
United Kingdom compared with similar countries
- United Kingdom's 7.38 million hens is above the median for high income countries, which is 2.63 million hens, 2.8× the median. (29 countries reporting)
- United Kingdom's 7.38 million hens is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 2.63 million hens, 2.8× the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 33.80 million hens | 29.10 million hens | 38.82 million hens | 4 |
| 2000s | 25.03 million hens | 20.58 million hens | 27.67 million hens | 9 |
| 2010s | 18.45 million hens | 17.51 million hens | 19.32 million hens | 10 |
| 2020s | 11.27 million hens | 7.38 million hens | 16.07 million hens | 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 laying hens in cages and cage-free housing in United Kingdom?
- Laying hens in cages and cage-free housing in United Kingdom was 7.38 million hens in 2025, 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 United Kingdom?
- The highest recorded value was 38.82 million hens in 1997.
- What is the lowest laying hens in cages and cage-free housing recorded in United Kingdom?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.38 million hens in 2025.
- How does United Kingdom rank for laying hens in cages and cage-free housing?
- United Kingdom ranks 6th out of 29 countries with data for 2025.
- Is laying hens in cages and cage-free housing rising or falling in United Kingdom?
- Over the last ten years it is down 60.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Laying hens in cages and cage-free housing. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 29 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Includes battery and enriched cage systems.