Number of poultry birds in Belgium
Belgium: Number of poultry birds was 49.20 million animals in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
49.20 million animals
Change on year
down 8.4%
World rank
66th
of 199 countries
All-time high
53.79 million animals
in 2020
All-time low
32.28 million animals
in 2003
Years of data
24
2000–2023
Number of poultry birds in Belgium, 2000–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in animals.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of poultry birds in Belgium is 49.20 million animals, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.4% on the previous year and up 35.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of poultry birds in Belgium peaked at 53.79 million animals in 2020 and was at its lowest, 32.28 million animals, in 2003.
Belgium ranks 66th of 199 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Number of poultry birds in Belgium, year by year
| Year | animals | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 39.98 million animals | — |
| 2001 | 38.81 million animals | -2.9% |
| 2002 | 38.18 million animals | -1.6% |
| 2003 | 32.28 million animals | -15.4% |
| 2004 | 36.76 million animals | +13.9% |
| 2005 | 35.79 million animals | -2.6% |
| 2006 | 33.06 million animals | -7.6% |
| 2007 | 32.95 million animals | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 32.69 million animals | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 33.47 million animals | +2.4% |
| 2010 | 34.59 million animals | +3.4% |
| 2011 | 35.60 million animals | +2.9% |
| 2012 | 35.84 million animals | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 36.44 million animals | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 33.91 million animals | -7.0% |
| 2015 | 37.99 million animals | +12.1% |
| 2016 | 42.91 million animals | +12.9% |
| 2017 | 40.47 million animals | -5.7% |
| 2018 | 47.79 million animals | +18.1% |
| 2019 | 49.44 million animals | +3.5% |
| 2020 | 53.79 million animals | +8.8% |
| 2021 | 53.62 million animals | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 53.72 million animals | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 49.20 million animals | -8.4% |
Belgium compared with similar countries
- Belgium's 49.20 million animals is above the median for high income countries, which is 22.73 million animals, 2.2× the median. (64 countries reporting)
- Belgium's 49.20 million animals is above the median for Europe & Central Asia, which is 19.92 million animals, 2.5× the median. (48 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 35.40 million animals | 32.28 million animals | 39.98 million animals | 10 |
| 2010s | 39.50 million animals | 33.91 million animals | 49.44 million animals | 10 |
| 2020s | 52.58 million animals | 49.20 million animals | 53.79 million animals | 4 |
Countries ranked near Belgium
More agriculture & rural data for Belgium
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), annual -0.3325 % change on previous year (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 0.0073 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, value added (current US$), per 443.58 current US$ per person (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate 0.2138 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.1233 units per person (2025)
- Share of GDP from agriculture 0.7% (2025)
- Agriculture as a share of GDP vs. GDP per capita 0.7% (2025)
- Agricultural raw materials exports 1.2% (2024)
- Agricultural raw materials imports 1.0% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of poultry birds in Belgium?
- Number of poultry birds in Belgium was 49.20 million animals in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of poultry birds recorded in Belgium?
- The highest recorded value was 53.79 million animals in 2020.
- What is the lowest number of poultry birds recorded in Belgium?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.28 million animals in 2003.
- How does Belgium rank for number of poultry birds?
- Belgium ranks 66th out of 199 countries with data for 2023.
- Is number of poultry birds rising or falling in Belgium?
- Over the last ten years it is up 35.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Belgium data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of poultry birds. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).