The share of households owning a pet in the United Kingdom remained relatively stable between 2012 and 2018, hovering around an estimated percentage of 47 to 45 percent. However, pet ownership levels peaked to an unprecedented high of 62 percent in 2022, likely as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and increased time spent at home. In 2023, this figure shrank to 57 percent.

Pet ownership in the UK With more than half of UK households owning at least one pet in 2021/22, dogs and cats were the most common household pets in that year, with an estimated 13 million dogs and 12 million cats living in homes. As of 2020, the United Kingdom was the second highest-ranking European country in terms of its dog population, preceded only by Germany.

Consumer spending on pets in the UK As the pet population in the United Kingdom increased in size, so did consumer spending on pet food and pet-related products and services. Spending on pets and related products reached almost eight billion British pounds in 2020, a notable increase from a mere 2.9 billion British pounds in 2005. Among the most expensive pet-related expenditures are veterinary and pet services, which constituted almost four billion British pounds in 2020.

Hungary had the highest share of dog-owning households in the European Union, with almost half of the population owning at least one dog in 2023. Other countries, like Poland and Romania, had a little more than a third of households with at least one pet dog. Pet ownership in Europe Germany had the highest pet dog population in Europe, with more than ten million dogs in 2022. In comparison, Romania had approximately 4.2 million dogs in that same year. However, pet dog ownership was more prevalent among Romanian households, where 43 percent of households owned at least one dog in 2022, compared to only 21 percent of German households who were dog owners in that same year. In the last decade, both the number of pet cats and pet dogs increased significantly in Europe. Pet food trade Due to a growing pet population in the European continent, the pet industry flourished, and pet food trade is one indicator of that growth. The import value of cat and dog food more than tripled in the last decade, increasing from 480 million U.S. dollars in 2011 to over 1.5 billion U.S. dollars in 2021. European exports of pet food followed a similar trend, reflecting a general expansion in pet food industry and trade in Europe.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has affected many industries in significant ways, including the pet industry. During a survey carried out in February 2022, ** percent of respondents in the United States reported acquiring a new pet. This is an increase of **** percent compared to December 2020, when ** percent of respondents reported getting a new pet. Pet ownership during the pandemic With nationwide lockdowns forcing people to spend most of their time confined at home, approximately ** percent of Americans from all generations surveyed in 2020 reported spending more time with their pets as a result of social distancing regulations. Additionally, the pandemic had its impact on the economic situation of millions of people who may have struggled with precarious work or part-time employment that was discontinued due to lockdowns, which made many pet owners concerned about the affordability of pet food and products. In fact, younger generations like Gen Z and Millennials in the United States were more likely than Baby Boomers to be worried about pet expenses during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Pet industry in the United States Pet industry expenditure in the United States has witnessed remarkable growth over the years and was forecast to reach nearly *** billion U.S. dollars in 2021, up from less than half that figure only ten years prior when it was approximately ** billion U.S. dollars in 2011. Among the most prominent players in the U.S. pet industry are pet food companies Mars Petcare Inc. and Nestlé Purina Petcare, generating ** billion and ** billion U.S. dollars in revenues, respectively.

As of 2022, nearly every fourth household in Finland owned at least one pet dog or one cat. Compared to the year 2020, household's dog ownership in Finland remained unchanged while cat ownership slightly decreased.

According to a survey of UK pet owners carried out in March 2022, around ** percent of dog owners stated that owning a pet made them mentally healthier. Figures were lower for cat and rabbit owners, at around ** and ** percent, respectively.

********* percent of households in the United States owned one or more pets in 2023/2024. Household penetration rates for pet-ownership have increased by ** percent since the beginning of the survey period in 1988. What kinds of pets do Americans prefer? There were estimated to be around ** million dog-owning households in the United States according to a recent survey, making dogs the most popular kind of pets in American homes. Cats and freshwater fish ranked in second and third places, respectively. Horses and saltwater fish were the least popular types of animals to keep, with around *** million households owning each type of pet. How much do Americans spend on their pets? Total pet industry expenditure reached around ***** billion U.S. dollars in 2022, an increase from the previous year. As well as regular expenses such as food and vet costs, households were estimated to spend around *** billion U.S. dollars on Valentine's Day gifts for their pets in 2023.

According to a survey on pet ownership conducted by Rakuten Insight in January 2022, ** percent of the respondents in Indonesia indicated that they owned cats. On the other hand, ** percent of the respondents indicated that they owned dogs.

In 2022, ** percent of Italian households owned at least one dog. In that year, the share of households owning at least one cat was ** percent. When compared to the European average, dog ownership in Italy is slighlty higher than the rest of the continent. On the other hand, the estimated share of European households owning a cat was ** percent in 2022, five percent higher than Italy. Pet dogs in Europe In 2023 the dog population in Italy amounted to approximately *** million (excluding strays), making it the one of the largest in the European Union. Germany ranked highest with a dog population of approximately **** million, followed then by Spain. While the number of pet dogs in Italy has remained stable between 2014 and 2019 it then increased steadily in the following three years, also increasing overall in Europe at an estimate of more than *** million in 2022. Pet cats in Europe When considering cats, Italy was home to approximately **** million cats (excluding strays) in 2022, the third largest population in the Europe Union after Germany, and France. As for dogs, the cat population in Italy also remained stable since 2014 with an increase in the last years. Again, as for dogs, the cat population increased steadily in Europe, reaching more than *** million in 2022, which means there is approximately one cat for every five individuals on the continent.

In a survey conducted about domestic pet ownership in 2022, dogs and cats were the most popular domestic pets for Australians, with around ** percent of people owning dogs and around ** percent owning cats. Approximately ** percent of those surveyed owned fish.

According to a survey on pet ownership conducted by Rakuten Insight in January 2022, ** percent of respondents in Indonesia stated that they owned at least one pet. In comparison, ** percent of respondents stated that they do not own a pet.

An estimated ** million households in the United States owned at least one dog according to a 2024/25 pet owners survey, making them the most widely owned type of pet across the U.S. at this time. Cats and freshwater fish ranked in second and third places, with around ** million and ** million households owning such pets, respectively. Freshwater vs. salt water fish Freshwater fish spend most or all their lives in fresh water. Fresh water’s main difference to salt water is the level of salinity. Freshwater fish have a range of physiological adaptations to enable them to live in such conditions. As the statistic makes clear, Americans keep a large number of freshwater aquatic species at home as pets. American pet owners In 2023, around ** percent of all households in the United States owned a pet. This is a decrease from 2020, but still around a ** percent increase from 1988. It is no surprise that as more and more households own pets, pet industry expenditure has also witnessed steady growth. Expenditure reached over *** billion U.S. dollars in 2022, almost a sixfold increase from 1998. The majority of pet product sales are still made in brick-and-mortar stores, despite the rise and evolution of e-commerce in the United States.

During a survey conducted in 2024, it was revealed that millennials represented the biggest share of pet owners in the United States (** percent), followed in second place by Generation X (** percent). Baby Boomer's came in third, representing some ** percent of pet owners. Pet ownership in the United States Despite some fluctuations, household penetration rates for pet ownership in the United States have generally increased over the years, going from ** percent in 1988 to approximately ** percent in 2023. With millennials constituting the largest group of pet owners in the United States, they also constituted the generational group that planned to spend the most on their pets during the holidays in 2020, with an average spending of ** U.S. dollars, compared to only ** U.S. dollars of average planned spending on pets for Baby Boomers. Pet expenditure in the U.S. Pet food and treats constituted the highest selling category for pet products in the United States, with total food and treats sales reaching **** billion U.S. dollars in 2022. Vet care and product sales were the second biggest pet market category that year, generating around **** billion U.S. dollars in sales. Generally, average annual pet expenditure was higher for dog owners than for cat owners across all pet market categories in 2020.

Are cats winning the battle against dogs? If dogs are man’s best friend, it seems that the small feline has a big space in French people’s households. In 2022, a third of households owned a cat in France, whereas ** percent of them declared owning a pet dog. This is a cat’s world   Similarly, there were more cat owners in Belgium, in Denmark and Germany, than dog owners. Although this may be true, in Spain and the United Kingdom, people were more frequently dog owners than cat owners. Nonetheless, in the U.K the number of pet cats was on the rise, there were ** million cats registered in 2021-2022. Cat-ching!   In the United Kingdom, the lifetime cost of keeping a cat was ****** British pounds, which was slightly higher than the cost of keeping a dog. On the opposite side, in the United States, annual expenses for cats were lower than expenses for dogs. Pet owners are keen to celebrate with their animals as a significant share makes the effort to purchase gifts for them on special occasions.

According to a survey on pet ownership conducted by Rakuten Insight in January 2022, ** percent of the respondents in Singapore indicated that they owned cats. On the other hand, ** percent of the respondents indicated that they owned dogs.

During the time period studied, there were a total of ***** million dogs and cats in Poland, of which ***** million had owners.

According to a survey on pet ownership conducted by Rakuten Insight in January 2022, around ** percent of surveyed pet owners in Taiwan stated that they had dogs. In comparison, about ** percent of respondents said that they kept cats as pets.

According to a survey on pet ownership conducted by Rakuten Insight in January 2022, ** percent of respondents in the Philippines stated that they owned at least one pet. The same survey revealed that most pet owners in the Philippines own a dog.

Poles prefer dogs over cats. In 2022, ** percent of households in Poland owned a pet dog.

The share of pet dog or cat-owning households in Hungary remained on a similar level over the observed years. As of 2022, approximately ** percent of households in Hungary owned a pet dog or a cat, respectively.

According to the most recent pet population survey in 2024, approximately ** percent of responding households in the United Kingdom (UK) owned at least one dog. Between 2010 and 2020, the percentage of households who own at least one dog remained between ** and ** percent. In 2021, the survey changed its format from face-to-face to online, meaning that data should not be directly compared with previous years. Pet dogs in the United Kingdom A downward trend is also reflected in the number of pet dogs owned in the UK, which was approximately ** million in 2023. This constitutes a decrease of *** million compared to 2022. The majority of British dog owners get their pets from a breeder of one specific breed. Approximately ** percent get their dog from a rescue or rehoming center/shelter based in the UK. Most popular dog breeds in the United Kingdom The most frequently registered dog breeds in the UK are Labrador Retrievers and French Bulldogs. Since 2011, the number of registered French Bulldogs has increased from approximately ***** to over ******. The number of Labrador Retrievers remained relatively stable between 2011 and 2020. Both breeds saw a notable increase in registrations during the pandemic year of 2021. For example, the number of Labrador Retrievers increased from around ****** in 2020 to over ****** in 2021.