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 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.

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.

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.

As of 2025, approximately 42 percent of consumers in the United States with over 50k$ household income considered it important for the food to have natural ingredients. A high percentage of pet owners also found the price important factors to keep in mind when making a purchasing decision.

This statistic shows the share of pet owners in the population of selected countries all over the world as of 2016. During the survey, ** percent of respondents in Argentina stated they own a dog, while ** percent said they own a cat.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 dog ownership ratio among young adults aged 20 to 29 years in Japan amounted to almost ** percent as revealed in a survey conducted in ************. While young adults represented the largest age group, only *** percent of elderly people aged 70 to 79 years were taking care of a dog.

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 ****** U.S. dollars.

This statistic shows the average share of pet ownership worldwide as of 2023, by pet type. Across all surveyed countries, ************* are the most popular pet type around the world.

According to a 2022 survey, 35 percent of cat and dog owners around the world had set up social media accounts for their pets. Furthermore, 34 percent of owners said they enjoyed positive reactions shared about their furry friends on online platforms.

The coronavirus pandemic affected pet acquisition and ownership patterns in the United States, with around ** percent of surveyed dog owners reporting adopting a dog from a pet shelter, welfare, or rescue organization. ***** percent of dog owners reported becoming first-time pet owners during the survey carried out in November and December of 2020.

********* 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.

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.

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.