Number of pet owning households in Europe 2010-2023

As of 2023, an estimated 166 million European households owned at least one pet. During the last decade, the number of pet-owning households has increased by approximately 20 million. 

Pets in the European Union

The most popular pets in the Europeans Union (EU) are cats. There are approximately 11,000 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 85,000 cats in Europe. By 2021, this figure had reached over 127,000. 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.