Pig population in the EU has decreased slightly

The pig population in the European Union has slightly decreased according to the results of the autumn-winter census of 2025. According to Eurostat, the total number of animals decreased by 0.5% year-on-year, while the number of sows showed a moderate increase for the first time in several years.

In total, around 131.5 million pigs were kept in the EU in autumn and winter 2025. Despite the slight overall decrease, the dynamics in the key producing countries were heterogeneous – some of them increased their population, while others continued to decrease.

In particular, in Germany, the pig population increased by 0.9% to 21.49 million heads, while Denmark showed an even more significant increase – by 6%, to 12.27 million. Positive dynamics were also recorded in Poland (+1.6%, to 9.23 million) and Italy (+0.6%, to 7.87 million), as well as in Portugal and Romania.

At the same time, a decrease was observed in a number of countries. The largest drop occurred in Spain – by 2.7%, to 33.65 million heads, although it remains the largest pork producer in the EU. In the Netherlands, the population decreased by 7.6% – to 9.42 million, which is largely due to the state farm buyout program.

The market pays special attention to the dynamics of sows, which is an indicator of future production. In 2025, their number in the EU was 10.27 million, which is 0.6% more than a year earlier, signaling a gradual stabilization after previous reductions.

An increase in the number of sows was recorded in Spain (+2.6%), Germany (+1.4%), Denmark (+2.7%), as well as in Poland, Romania, Hungary and Ireland. At the same time, the reduction continues in France and the Netherlands, but overall the stabilization of the livestock population gives reason to expect that the volume of pork production in the EU will remain at the level of last year or increase slightly by the end of the year.

Tags: pork, EU