Number of pet owning households in Europe 2010-2023

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.