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UK pig numbers and holdings
Last updated 08 January 2026
These figures track annual changes in pig numbers, and farms with pigs on, in the UK.
Herd size
| Total UK pig herd | Total UK female breeding herd | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | June | December | June | December |
| 2001 | 5,845 | 5,585 | 598 | 547 |
| 2002 | 5,588 | 5,330 | 558 | 520 |
| 2003 | 5,046 | 4,842 | 516 | 514 |
| 2004 | 5,159 | 4,787 | 515 | 475 |
| 2005 | 4,862 | 4,726 | 470 | 441 |
| 2006 | 4,933 | 4,731 | 468 | 449 |
| 2007 | 4,834 | 4,671 | 455 | 436 |
| 2008 | 4,714 | 4,550 | 421 | 426 |
| 2009 | 4,540 | 4,416 | 426 | 417 |
| 2010 | 4,460 | 4,388 | 427 | 423 |
| 2011 | 4,441 | 4,327 | 432 | 409 |
| 2012 | 4,481 | 4,216 | 425 | 400 |
| 2013 | 4,885 | 4,383 | 421 | 398 |
| 2014 | 4,815 | 4,510 | 406 | 390 |
| 2015 | 4,739 | 4,422 | 408 | 401 |
| 2016 | 4,866 | 4,538 | 415 | 409 |
| 2017 | 4,969 | 4,713 | 417 | 407 |
| 2018 | 5,012 | 4,648 | 409 | 406 |
| 2019 | 5,078 | 4,741 | 413 | 404 |
| 2020 | 5,055 | 4,828 | 402 | 405 |
| 2021 | 5,323 | 398 | ||
| 2022 | 5,220 | 343 | ||
| 2023 | 4,683 | 338 | ||
| 2024 | 4,716 | 327 | ||
| 2025 | 4,739 | 316 | ||
Source: Defra
Holdings
| UK holdings* | UK ave herd size | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total pig | Breeding sow | |
| 2001 | 10,200 | 6,600 | 91 |
| 2002 | 10,400 | 6,200 | 92 |
| 2003 | 10,100 | 5,800 | 90 |
| 2004 | 11,400 | 6,000 | 87 |
| 2005 | 12,500 | 6,800 | 69 |
| 2006 | 11,900 | 6,200 | 76 |
| 2007 | 12,100 | 6,100 | 74 |
| 2008 | 8,700 | 6,100 | 75 |
| 2009 | 9,600 | 5,800 | 78 |
| 2010 | 10,729 | 6,009 | 71 |
| 2011 | 10,854 | 6,037 | 72 |
| 2012 | 11,141 | 6,108 | 70 |
| 2013 | 11,014 | 5,973 | 70 |
| 2014 | 11,319 | 5,969 | 68 |
| 2015 | 11,512 | 6,557 | 62 |
| 2016 | 10,882 | 6,043 | 69 |
| 2017 | 11,051 | 5,955 | 70 |
| 2018 | 10,976 | 5,824 | 70 |
| 2019 | 10,539 | 5,451 | 76 |
| 2020 | - | - | - |
| 2021 | 10,259 | 4,864 | 82 |
| 2022 | 10,186 | 4,758 | 72 |
| 2023 | 10,188 | 4,761 | 71 |
| 2024 | 9,913 | 4,634 | 71 |
Source: Defra
Contact us
This dataset was produced by our Data and Analysis Team. To find out more about the team, please visit the Data and Analysis team page.
If you need any further help, please email Martin, Dorian, Gavin or Esther at econ@ahdb.org.uk
Additional information
*Change in methodology to exclude English non-commercial holdings from 2010 (inclusive) onwards.
Defra are no longer reporting December UK pig numbers and so no data available from 2020
Holding numbers as at June
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