Pet ownership statistics Worldwide
A pet, or companion animal, is an animal kept primarily for a person’s company or entertainment rather than as a working animal, livestock, etc. In this article, a detailed study is done on what pet ownership looks like around the world.
Looking for Pet ownership statistics Worldwide like in Asia, Europe, Latin America, and Oceania, we see that preferred pet companions vary quite a bit by country and region.
We’ve set out to compile the definitive list of pet ownership statistics worldwide and in the US
Spoiler alert: Reptiles are crushing it in the U.K., while dogs aren’t so popular in Turkey. Cats, meanwhile, are faring well in Europe—especially in France, where they’re about twice as common as pet dogs.
Pet ownership statistics Worldwide can be described in detail below:
See Also: Pet Ownership Statistics in US 2022
- As of 2020, 38% of all European Union households (88 million homes) owned at least one pet.
- There are roughly 110.15 million pet cats throughout Europe, making it the #1 household pet on the continent.
- In Europe, Turkey has the lowest percentage of households with a pet dog, at just 5%.
- Italy has roughly 1.37 million pet reptiles, making it the second-largest pet reptile population behind the U.K. (1.45 million) in the region.
- Italy also has the largest pet ornamental bird population in Europe (12.88 million).
- By total, ornamental birds are the most popular pet in Italy (12.88 million) ahead of dogs (8.3 million) and cats (7.93 million).
- By total, ornamental birds are the most common pet in Spain (6.99 million), ahead of dogs (6.73 million) and cats (3.8 million).
- With just 11% of households owning at least one pet cat, Spain also has the lowest percentage of cat ownership in Europe.
- Turkey has the second-largest pet ornamental bird population in Europe (11.2 million), while Spain has the third largest with 6.99 million.
- France has twice as many pet cats (15.1 million) as pet dogs (7.5 million).
- Among EU countries, Romania has the highest percentage of households with pet cats (47%).
- Among EU countries, Romania is also tied with Poland for the highest percentage of pet dogs (42%).
- In 2021, 33% of United Kingdom households (12.5 million) owned a pet dog, while 12.2 million owned a pet cat (27%), and 500,000 owned a pet pigeon (0.8%).
- 32% of households in Asia-Pacific (APAC) countries own a dog, compared to 26% who own cats.
- 16% of Hong Kong households own a dog, compared to 47% in Thailand.
- In APAC, the Philippines has the highest rate of dog ownership (67%).
- Cats are the top pet in Indonesia, with 47% of households owning one.
- Japan has the lowest rate of pet ownership in APAC, where 72% of households don’t own any pets.
- 15% of households in Vietnam own a pet goldfish, the highest percentage in APAC.⁷
- As of 2020, 64% of New Zealand households owned a companion animal.
- Cats are the most popular pet in New Zealand, with 41% of households owning at least one.
- While only 9% of New Zealand households have pet fish, there are more pet fish (1.37 million) than cats (1.2 million) and dogs (851,000).
- 61% of Australian households have a pet (5.9 million).
- Pets outnumber people in Australia — roughly 29 million pets vs. 25 million people.
- Roughly 40% of Australian households have at least one dog, followed by cats (27%), fish (11%), and birds (9%).
- As of 2019, Brazil has the world’s fourth-largest pet population with 132 million pets (including 77 million dogs and cats.)
See Also: The Most Popular Animals Owned As Pets In The US