How many dogs are there in the US? According to a pet owners survey, there were approximately 89.7 million dogs owned in the United States in 2017. This is an increase of over 20 million since the beginning of the survey period in 2000, when around 68 million dogs were owned in the United States.

Why has this figure increased?

The resident population of the United States has also increased significantly within this time period. It is, therefore, no surprise that the number of dogs owned in U.S. households has also increased, especially when considering that the household penetration rate for dog-ownership reached almost 50 percent in recent years.

The dog food market in the United States

The large number of dogs owned by Americans creates a lucrative market for pet food brands and retailers. Pedigree, the leading dry dog food name brand in the U.S., had sales amounting to around 550 million U.S. dollars in 2017. Pedigree also led the pack in the wet dog food category , with sales of around 240 million U.S. dollars in the same year.

This statistic presents the estimated number of pet dogs in Ireland in 2010, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. The dog population in Ireland was measured at approximately 520,000 in 2023.

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.

Idaho had the highest dog ownership rate in the United States (U.S.), with ** percent of households owning a dog in 2025. In Tennessee, around ** percent of households were dog owners in that year. Dog food industry in the U.S. The sales value of dog food in the U.S. amounts to a total of approximately **** billion U.S. dollars annually, excluding treats. Among the various dog food categories, dry dog food makes up the largest share of sales, with just under ***** billion U.S. dollars. The leading dog biscuit, treat, and beverage vendor in the U.S. in terms of sales is Big Heart Pet Brands, which generates sales of over * billion U.S. dollars annually. The sales of Big Heart Pet Brands are more than twice as much as those of its biggest competitor, Nestlé Purina PetCare. The leading frozen and refrigerated dog food vendors in the U.S. is Freshpet. The company dominates the market by a considerable margin. Dog ownership in the U.S. Nationwide, approximately ** million U.S. households own at least one dog. Dogs are the most widely owned type of pet among American households. Within the last 12 years, the number of dog-owning households grew by more than ** percent. In general, there has been an increase in the household penetration rate of pet ownership in the U.S. during the last 35 years. In 2023, about ********** of households owned at least one pet. Since the state of Idaho has the highest percentage share of dog owners among U.S. states, it is unsurprising that its state capital, the city of Boise, has the largest number of dog parks per 100,000 residents in the country. There are *** off-leash dog parks per 100,000 residents in Boise, Idaho.

With over 470 million dogs kept as pets worldwide, dogs came out on top as the leading type of pet in 2018. Within the same year, there were roughly 370 million pet cats in the world.

Pets in the European Union

While dogs were globally speaking the most common type of pet, cats were more common in the European Union in 2018. Roughly 75 million people within this region had a pet cat in 2018, compared to the 65 million pet dogs. That year, Germany had about nine and a half million pet dogs, making it the country with the highest number within the European Union. Other top dog-loving countries included the United Kingdom, Poland, and France.

Other pets in Germany

Besides cats and dogs, Germans had many other household pets in 2018. About five and a half million small pets, such as hamsters and rabbits, were kept by Germans that year. Additionally, about two million households in Germany owned an aquarium and roughly one and a half million households owned a garden pond.

The popularity of dogs in Spain cannot be denied – the number of hounds has only increased in the last years, reaching figures of approximately *** million in 2023. The number of stray and street dogs rescued on the Spanish streets also saw a considerable increase to over ******* in 2019. This figure dropped to ******* the following year. Dogs: Spain’s favorite domestic animal  Among the wide variety of animals kept as pets, cats and dogs are the most common. In Spain, dogs seem to be the most popular pet, with ** percent of Spanish households owing at least one canine. The share of households that owned a cat amounted to ** percent that year. How about cats?   Spanish homes had around 5.86 million pet cats in 2023, which is about half the number of that of dogs the same year. The number of rescued stray or street felines was also significantly lower compared to dogs, with approximately ******* cats collected from Spanish streets in 2020. The fate of rescued street and stray pets normally has a happy ending, with nearly half of them adopted by a new family and ** percent returned to their original homes that year.

In 2023, the dog population in Europe was measured at approximately ****** million, an increase from around ****** million in the previous year. Overall, the number of pet-owning households in Europe was estimated to be around *** million in 2023. Pets in the European Union With a pet population reaching almost ** million in 2022, cats were the most populous animal type in the European Union, followed by dogs and ornamental birds. Other popular pets that year included small mammals, ornamental fish, and pet reptiles. There were approximately *** million pet reptiles in the European Union in 2022. Germany was home to the highest population of pet dogs in the European Union in 2022, at around **** million. Pet retailers in Europe The German pet food company Fressnapf was Europe’s top pet care retailer, with more than 2.1 billion euros in annual turnover in 2019. Fressnapf’s competitors in Europe are prominent pet care retailers such as the United Kingdom’s Pets at Home, the Belgian company Aveve, and the German Futterhaus, amongst others. Pets at Home is the largest pet retailer in the United Kingdom, recording annual revenues exceeding 1.32 billion British pounds in 2022.

In 2023, dog population in Italy amounted to approximately 14.3 million, an increase of just under two percent compared to the previous year. A possible reason behind the increase in pet ownership in the last four years is the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, when people were confined to their homes and perhaps longing for the comfort and companionship provided by a pet. Favorite pet animals Even though bird and cat populations were larger than dogs’ population in Italy, according to a survey conducted in 2024, dogs were Italians’ favorite pet friends. Close to 42 percent of Italians picked dogs as their preferred pet animal, while about 38 percent indicated cats as their preference. Pet food and pet care The love of Italians for their pet friends is reflected in the amount of money they spend on them: in 2023, over three billion euros was spent on dog and cat food products in Italy. The large increase in pet ownership in Italy in 2022 is likely directly correlated to the displayed increase in cat and dog food product sales.

The gradually growing number of pet dogs owned by Russian families dropped significantly in 2019, measuring at **** million dogs nationwide. In 2023, the figures recovered up to ***** million pet dogs in Russian households.   Domestic pets in Russia The love for domestic animals in Russia is well-known. So much so that, the share of households owning at least one cat or dog has been growing year-on-year. When compared, cats are the most favored pets by Russians, with ** percent of households owning at least one in 2021. Such affinity has been translated into the steadily growing population of domestic cats in the country.  Domestic animals’ tax in Russia In 2019, Russian mass media repeatedly voiced legislation related to tax imposition on domestic animals to allegedly be approved during 2020. The main driver behind this measure, as sources claim, is to improve domestic animals’ wellbeing countrywide. Nonetheless, many argue that such measurements could have the opposite effect and soar the issue of homeless pets in the country. In 2019, nearly every fifth pet owner in Russia picked up their domestic animal on the street.

In the United States, more than half of the population reported owning a pet in 2011. This number has been quite steady since then. Today there are more than 90 million cats in the United States, while the number of dogs is just below the 90 million-mark. Freshwater fish are the most common pet with almost 140 million nationwide in 2018, followed by the aforementioned cats and dogs.   Pet expenses    When it comes to expenses, fish are generally considered low maintenance compared to other pets. Dogs especially require high expense, particularly for kennel boarding while their owners are away. However, the highest costs for dog owners are due to surgical vet visits, reported at almost double the expense for cats in 2019. Lower life expectancy could be a factor - around 11 years for a medium-sized dog, compared with 12 to 15 years for cats.  
  Pet food  

Food is currently the largest expense for cat owners, and the second highest for dogs, not even including treats. Despite the convenience of buying pet food online, or while already grocery shopping in a supermarket, food store, or wholesale club, the highest share of pet food sales comes from pet specialty chains. With many owners are willing to make the extra trip for their pets, chain shops Pet Smart and PetCo make up almost half the market for pet companies in the United States.

In 2023, the number of pet dogs held in Japan was estimated at around *** million. While dogs remained one of the most popular animal species held as pets, the ownership rate declined steadily in recent years. Dogs in Japanese households Dogs are high in demand as pets in Japan for their friendly and playful nature. While their function used to be practical as watchdogs or helpers on the fields, the animals are increasingly integrated into the modern household structure. Reflecting their increasing role as a family member, small dog breeds are preferred among Japanese owners, with breeders catering to the demand for small mixed breeds and designer dogs like toy poodles. With the residential real estate market facing the challenge of high demand for affordable living spaces and a lack of space in general, small breeds are a welcomed solution for households in metropolitan areas, in particular, that desire an animal companion but lack a garden or the free space to roam the neighborhood. Four-legged friends have overtaken children The pet boom at the beginning of the 20th century has been driving the growth of the pet population in Japan, with the estimated number of cats and dogs together surpassing the number of children aged 14 or below in Japan. Due to a large number of abandoned pets that are unaccounted for, municipalities are facing the challenge of containing growing stray populations. To address the issues and emphasize the responsibility of owners for their animal companions, dogs and cats that are sold from June 2022 onwards require microchipping with the owner’s information.

In urban China, the cat and dog population exceeded *** million in 2024, increasing from about *** million in 2020. In that year, approximately ***** million dogs and ***** million cats were kept as pets in China's urban households.

The estimated number of pet dogs in Denmark in increased selected years from 2010 to 2023. The dog population in Denmark was measured at approximately 643,000 in 2023.

Dogs are loved pets around the world. Over the period from 2012 to 2022, the number of dogs owned by Finnish households increased by 131 thousand. The pet dog population was estimated to be approximately 781 thousand in Finland in 2022.

Pets in Finland

Not only dogs but also cats are popular pets in Finland. As of 2022, there were over 980 thousand pet cats in Finland. Over the past years, the share of households owing at least one cat or dog in Finland remained at the same level. On the other hand, the number of small mammal pets, such as rabbits, guinea pigs, or hamsters, owned by Finnish households showed no increase.

Pets in the European Union

Pets are increasing in popularity in the European Union. During the last decade, the number of pet-owning households in the EU has increased at a steady pace. While dogs reached the second rank, cats are the most popular pets in the European Union. As of 2022, it was estimated that there were approximately 77.9 million pet cats and 66.9 million pet dogs in the EU.

In 2023, Germany had the highest pet dog population in the European Union, with more than 10 million dogs. Spain ranked second with a dog population of 9.3 million. Other countries, like Greece and Denmark, had comparatively smaller dog populations of approximately 655,000 and 643,000, respectively. Pet dogs in Europe The number of pet dogs in Europe has witnessed a notable increase since 2010, increasing from around 73 million in 2010 to more than 92 million in 2021. This positive trend was accompanied by a similar growth in the number of pet-owning households in Europe, which has increased by an estimated 20 million in the period between 2010 and 2021. Pet food industry in Europe Despite a marked increase in the dog population along with the number of pet-owning households in Europe, this has not been translated in a similarly significant increase in pet food sales in the continent. The annual sales volume of pet food products remained relatively stable in the last decade, until increasing in 2021 to about 10.2 million tons of pet food products. The largest pet food manufacturer in Europe was the Belgian company United Petfood Producers, with an annual revenue stream of approximately 800 million U.S. dollars in 2021.

The estimated number of pet dogs in Sweden increased in selected years from 2010 to 2023. The dog population in Sweden was measured at approximately 1.05 million in 2023, an increase from the previous year.

This statistic shows the household penetration rates for dog-ownership in the United States from 1988 to 2016. In 2016, some 48 percent of U.S. households owned a dog, an increase from 44 percent of households in 2014.

This statistic shows the mean dog owner household income in the United States from 2006 to 2016. In 2016, the mean household income for dog owners in the U.S. amounted to about 96,700 U.S. dollars.

This statistic presents the estimated share of households owning at least one cat or one dog in Ireland from 2010 to 2023. As of 2023, 25 percent of households in Ireland owned a pet dog.

In selected years from 2010 to 2023, the share of Danes owning cats and dogs fluctuated. Noticeable is, that from 2010 to 2014, more people were dog owners (around 21 percent) than cat owners (around 18 percent). This changed in the following years to 19 percent having cats and approximately 21 percent having dogs. By comparison, in the neighboring country Sweden, there were always more households with cats than dogs in the same years (except in 2020 when the share was the same).  Cat and dog population in Denmark  In numbers, the cat population decreased slightly from 673 thousand in 2010 to 669 thousand animals in 2022. The dog population grew between 2010 to 2020 from 580 to 670 thousand, before decreasing again in 2021.  Cat and dog population in Sweden The number of cats as well as the number of dogs increased in recent years. As of 2022, the cat population was measured at approximately 1.7 million animals and the dog population at 1.04 million animals.