The Dutch pig population is shrinking the fastest.

The European pig herd declined slightly in 2025, according to data from Eurostat. In 2024, the European Union still counted 132,14 million pigs. A year later, this number fell to 131,52 million pigs, a decrease of 0,5%. This shows that the European market is still shrinking. Over a five-year period, the pig herd has meanwhile decreased by 9,9%. In 2020, 145,92 million pigs were counted.

The Netherlands shows by far the largest contraction in relative terms, with a decrease from 10,192 to 9,419 million (-7,6%), indicating a clear structural decline. This is largely the result of the LBV+ scheme. This policy has accelerated the planned contraction of the sector. Over the past five years, the Dutch pig herd has decreased by 18,4%.

Traditional top three drops sharply
When looking at the largest European producers, we see mixed results. Spain, the largest producer, shows a decrease from 34,57 to 33,65 million pigs (-2,7%), indicating a downward correction after the peak year of 2024. While most European pig herds have shrunk over the past five years, the Spanish pig herd grew until 2024. During that period, the Spanish pig herd increased by 5,6%. However, after prices fell sharply, Spanish pig farmers decided to reduce their herds. Production also declined as a result of the PRRS virus.

Germany, on the other hand, remains relatively stable and records slight growth from 21,29 million to 21,49 million (+0,9%). This appears to be an upward correction following the major decline between 2020 and 2024, during which the pig herd shrank by 18,3%. The traditionally third-largest market, France, continues its decline. We see a slight downward trend with a small decrease from 11,71 million to 11,64 million (-0,6%). In France, the decline is structural: the pig herd has shrunk every year over the past five years, with a total decrease of 13,1%.

Danish pig population grows significantly
Denmark stands out with the strongest growth among major producers: the pig herd rises from 11,583 to 12,274 million (+6,0%). This is the result of a significant change in the way the country produces pigs. Piglet producers struggled to find buyers for their piglets, leading to more slaughter pigs being kept domestically. This resulted in a substantial increase in the Danish pig herd. At the same time, large Danish slaughterhouses have stimulated domestic production of slaughter pigs.

The strong growth can also be seen as a correction, given that the Danish pig sector contracted sharply in previous years. Despite the growth in 2025, the Danish pig herd is still 8,3% lower than in 2020.