Germany has lost 10,600 pig farms since 2015.

Over the past decade, the country has lost 41% of its pig farms—approximately 10,600 fewer than in 2015—cementing a trend toward more intensive and large-scale production systems. While in 2015, each farm housed an average of 1,100 animals, by 2025, this figure will rise to nearly 1,400 pigs per farm.

The pig population is declining to 20.9 million heads.

The total number of registered pigs also declined, albeit at a more moderate rate. In May 2025, Germany had 20.9 million pigs, a 1.8% decrease compared to November 2024 and a 1.2% decrease compared to the same month last year. Over the past ten years, the country has lost 25.6% of its pig population, equivalent to 7.2 million animals.

By category, data for May 2025 indicate the presence of:

• 9.4 million fattening pigs, which is 0.7% less than the previous year.
• 10.1 million piglets and young sows, a decrease of 1.6%.
• 1.4 million sows, down 1.3%.

The livestock population is also decreasing.

The same trend applies to cattle . In May 2025, there were 10.3 million head of cattle, including 3.6 million dairy cows.

The decrease was 1.2% compared to November and 2.7% compared to May 2024. Over ten years, the cattle population decreased by 2.3 million heads, which is 18.3% less.