Total poultry numbers decrease to 11.88 million in 2026

In 2026, there were 11.88 million poultry, a 4.4% decrease when compared with 2025. Of these, 5.72 million were for egg production (a 3.7% decrease when compared with 2025), 4.97 million were for meat production (6.7% decrease), and 1.06 million were for breeding (1.0% increase).

Of the 5.72 million total fowls for producing eggs, there were 4.03 million pullets and hens in the laying flock compared with 4.52 million in 2025 (an 11% decrease). The number of pullets being reared for laying increased by 19% from 1.41 million in 2025 to 1.69 million in 2026.

Due to methodological improvements, estimates from 2023 onwards are not directly comparable with data from earlier years.

Figure 10: Number of birds for meat production, egg production, and breeding, 2016 to 2026. Note some data for 2022 were estimated based on administrative data and results in adjacent years. The dashed line indicates a break in the time series: data for 2023 onwards are not comparable with earlier years due to methodological improvements.