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.

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 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.

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.

The number of pet dogs in France was estimated at about *** million in 2022, a slight increase compared to the year before, when there were approximatively *** million pet dogs counted. Pets in France In France, over than half of the population declared owning a pet, and a quarter had one or more dogs within their household. The pet fish population is the largest compared to other animals, but cats and dogs make up the vast majority of the pet product market value.   Pet dog market In 2022, dog products represented ** percent of the sales revenue from pet products in France.  In a survey regarding the annual expenditure of French people on their pet dog, respondents explained that, about half of their budget went to food purchase and approximatively a fifth of it was dedicated to veterinary expenses.Moreover, the market for pet food for dogs is expected to experience a substantial growth in the next few years, according to forecasts.

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 ******* in 2023.

In 2024, the number of dogs in China amounted to approximately ******million. This represented a slight increase from the previous year. The number of cats kept as pets in China amounted to almost ***million that year.

"Man’s best friend" has long found its place in our homes. Dogs hold this title for being able to understand and communicate with us. Indeed, dog behavior has been shaped by thousands of years of human contact. In 2022, Europe counted more than 104 million pet dogs. From a quantitative perspective, however, there were officially ***** million pet cats. So are dogs still “man's best friend”?

Who is man’s best friend in Belgium?

In 2022, over *** million pet dogs were registered in Belgium, whilst over *** million pet cats were registered that same year. In 2022, 32 percent of households had a cat whereas only ** percent had a dog.

Where to purchase a dog?

The average price of purchasing a dog in Belgium ranged from *** euros to *** euros. Such price differences are, among other criteria, related to where the dog is bought. For instance, places like shelters can be much more affordable than breeders. In Belgium, shelters help lost pets but also mistreated and abandoned animals. However, these animal shelters are often overpopulated. Beyond making a dog’s life better, getting a dog from such a place can free space for another pet to be cared for.

Since 2010, the population of pet dogs in Germany has doubled, reaching about **** million dogs in 2023. The population of pet dogs as increased almost every year during this time period, except for in 2021.

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 ******* 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 *** thousand. The pet dog population was estimated to be approximately *** 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 *** 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 **** million pet cats and **** million pet dogs in the EU.

The estimated number of pet dogs in Norway increased in selected years from 2010 to 2023. The dog population in Norway was measured at approximately 500,000 by the end of this period, a slight increase from the previous year.

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.

The dog population in Romania maintained a rather constant value over the observed period, around *** million pet dogs. In 2023, the country's dog population was **** million.

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 dog population in Italy according to the pet registry was measured at approximately **** million in 2024. The regions of Lombardy and Veneto had the largest dog population, with around two and *** million respectively.

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 dog population in the Netherlands was measured at approximately 1.5 million in 2022, which is more than ten percent of the country's human population. This was a decrease compared to the year before, when there were about 1.85 million dogs.

The change in population of pet dogs in the UK has been significant in the past year. In 2023, **** million of them were cohabiting with their human owners in UK households, a decrease of close to *********** compared to 2022.   Dogs more popular than cats   Dogs are cherished in the United Kingdom – more so than cats. In 2022, pet dogs were more prevalent in the UK with over a quarter of households owning at least ***, as opposed to households with cats. This was the same in previous years as well.