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.

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 2024, this figure shrank to 60 percent. Pet ownership in the UK With more than half of UK households owning at least one pet in 2024, dogs and cats were the most common household pets in that year, with an estimated 13.5 million dogs and 12.5 million cats living in homes. As of 2023, the United Kingdom was the highest-ranking European country in terms of its dog population, followed 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 11.3 billion British pounds in 2023, 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 7.2 billion British pounds in 2023.

According to a 2024 survey, dogs were the most commonly owned pet in UK households. The share of households reporting dog ownership stood at 36 percent. The second most common house pet among UK households were cats, with around 26 percent of respondents stating their ownership. Pet ownership in the UK In the past year, pet ownership levels in the UK decreased by five percent when compared to 2022. This decrease could be explained by the change in owner's routines since pandemic restrictions have lifted. The share of UK households owning a dog or cat also decreased in comparison to previous years. Happiness, companionship, and man’s best friend A 2020 survey asked dog owners to state their reasons for owning a dog and all linked their ownership to either improving their happiness and/or providing companionship. Happiness was the most common response, with 51 percent stating ‘because they make me happy’. Whereas 47 percent stated their dogs provided ‘love/affection’ and 35 percent stated their dogs provided ‘companionship’. It seems the old saying “man’s best friend” still holds true to this day.

********* 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.

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.

As of 2023, an estimated *** million European households owned at least one pet. During the past two decades, the number of pet-owning households has increased by nearly double. Pets in the European Union The most popular pets in the European Union (EU) are cats. There are approximately ****** more cats than dogs in the EU. Besides cats and dogs, other popular pets are ornamental birds, such as canaries, parakeets, parrots, and small mammals, like mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, or rabbits. The number of cats in Europe has steadily increased during the last decade. In 2010, there were about ****** cats in Europe. By 2021, this figure had reached over *******. A similar trend has been observed in the number of dogs in Europe. Cats in the European Union While cats are popular companions for households in many EU countries, Germany and France have the highest numbers of cats among EU countries by a considerable margin. However, these countries are also the most populous in the EU. Taking a look at the share of households who own at least one cat in the EU shows that the share of cat lovers in Romania is the highest. Almost half of Romanian households own a cat. The share of cat-owning households seems to be comparatively high in many eastern European countries.

The share of households with dogs as pets increased from 4.5 percent in 2014 to 7.9 percent in 2023. The increase in the number of households getting dogs and cats as pets had led to an increase in value of pet food sales to about 629 million U.S. dollars in 2023, up from 172 million U.S. dollars in 2016.

The statistic shows the share of pet types owned in households in the United States in 2020. According to a survey, some ** percent of respondents owned a dog at the time of the survey, and around ** percent owned a cat.

According to a 2019/2020 survey, eight out of ten households in Paraguay have at least one pet, while in Peru nearly seven out of ten households have a domesticated animal. In 2019, there were approximately ** million dogs and nearly ** million cats as pets in Brazil.

From 2010 to 2024, the share of Norwegian households which owned a cat remained steady at around *********. By comparison, over this period, around ** percent of households owned at least one dog. Cats seemed to be a very popular pet in Norway; the number increased recently and peaked in 2021 and 2022 at ******* animals.    Pet cats in Sweden In Norway’s neighboring country Sweden, the situation was similar. Since 2012, the share of households owning at least one cat remained between ** and ** percent, while ** to ** percent of Swedish households owned a dog. In this country, too, cats were more common to have as a pet than dogs. As of 2024, there were around **** million pet cats registered in Sweden. Pet cats in Denmark The population of pet cats in Denmark in 2023 was estimated to be *******. Unlike in Norway and Sweden, the share of households owning cats as a pet in this year was much lower than households owning a pet dog. It is striking that the situation was different before. From 2016 to 2019, the share of households owning at least one dog remained stable at around ** percent, while it was about ** percent for pet cats.          

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 in 2023. The share of households that owned a cat experienced an ongoing decrease over the recent years, falling to ** percent in 2019 down from a ** percent in 2010. This figure picked up again in 2022 to reach ** percent. Dogs: Spain’s favorite domestic animal 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 recused on the Spanish streets saw a drop over time, falling from ******* dogs in 2013 down to *******. This figure, however, increased dramatically in 2019. The situation of pet cats in Spain Spanish homes had around 5.8 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, until figures rocketed in 2019. 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.

This statistic shows a ranking of the leading pets owned by households in the United Kingdom (UK) between 2016 and 2019, broken down by region. In London, 14 percent of people were cat owners, while 9 percent owned a dog, making this the only region were cats were more popular than dogs.

In total, 45 percent of the UK population own a pet . This figure has increased by five percent since 2016. Over 90 percent of pet owners in the UK say that owning a pet makes them feel happy and 88 percent feel that pet ownership improves their overall quality of life.

With such as high ownership of pets in the United Kingdom, this leads the path for retailers in a growing and dynamic market. Pet food has a key role to play, with dog and cat food alone estimated at 2.5 billion British pounds in 2017.

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.

Wyoming had the highest pet ownership rate in the United States, with ** percent of households owning a pet in 2025. West Virginia came in second place with a ** percent pet ownership rate. In comparison, Colorado's pet ownership rate that year was ** percent.

The most common pets living with a family in Italy were dogs and cats. In 2018, **** percent of households had a cat or a dog. Moreover, about ***** percent of families in Italy had at least a bird, whereas *** percent owned fishes.

From 2010 to 2024, the share of cats in Swedish households was higher than the share of dogs. In 2019, ** percent of households owned at least one cat, while there were ** percent of dog-owning households. In 2024, the share amounted to ** percent of cat owners as well as ** percent of dog owners. The number of the popular pet animal cats grew in this period from **** million to **** million cats.    Most popular cat breeds  The Ragdoll cat breed came first in the popularity ranking measured by number of purchased animals in Sweden in 2021. In this year, nearly ***** animals of this breed were bought. The Maine Coon ranked second with a number of around ***** purchased cats, ahead of the Siberian Cat cat and the Norwegian Forest cat.  Pet dogs  In Sweden in 2010, there were *** thousand pet dogs. This number increased by almost *** thousand and, in 2022, peaked at about **** million animals. As of 2019, the Labrador Retriever was the most purchased dog breed in the country, reaching over *** thousand animals. It was followed by approximately **** thousand purchased Golden Retriever dogs as well as German Shepherd 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.

According to a 2017 survey, Millennial males in the United States were more likely to be cat and/or dog owners than their female counterparts. Some ** percent of male Millennial survey respondents stated that they owned a cat and ** percent owned a dog. In comparison, ** and ** percent of female respondents were cat and/or dog owners, respectively.

Pet ownership rates in the United States

In 2019, ** percent of all households in the United States owned a pet . This is over a *** percent increase from 1988. Almost ** percent of surveyed American pet-owning households had a dog in 2017 , making it the most popular type of pet to own in the United States. Cats and freshwater fish were the second and third most popular type of pet, with a ** and ** percent share of the vote respectively.

Number of pets owned

Freshwater fish were the most kept pet in the United States in 2017/18 in terms of volume. In total, Americans were estimated to own approximately ***** million of the aquatic animals in that year. This large volume is no surprise when considering their small size and minor cost increases when owning more than one fish as a pet. Cats and dogs were the second and third most owned pets, with around **** and **** million living in U.S. households respectively.

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 2018, households living in the North East of Italy were the ones more likely to own dogs or cats. In this area, around ** percent of the households had a dog or cat pet. On the other hand, only around ** percent of the families had one in the North West of the country.