Number of pet-related establishments South Korea 2017-2023

In 2023, there were around 20.6 thousand establishments in the pet industry in South Korea. The industry had recorded strong growth until 2022, while the number of businesses decreased in 2023. 

Korean pet industry

The pet industry in South Korea was worth an estimated 3.8 trillion South Korean won in 2021 and was expected to continue to grow over the next years. When broken down by category, pet beauty was the biggest pet-related business sector. It was followed by pet management and pet selling. Year-on-year (YoY) reduction of the number of establishments and employees in the pet industry was around 6.8 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively.

Pet ownership in Korea

Dogs are the exclusively popular pet type in South Korea. When dog registrations became mandatory, the number of registered dogs in the country increased, but this figure fell in recent years. The most popular breeds of dogs were smaller breeds like the Maltese or poodles, not surprising because many Koreans live in apartments without space for larger dogs to run free.