Number of dogs in Europe 2010-2023

In 2023, the dog population in Europe was measured at approximately 106.36 million, an increase from around 104.34 million in the previous year. Overall, the number of pet-owning households in Europe was estimated to be around 166 million in 2023. 

Pets in the European Union

With a pet population reaching almost 78 million in 2022, cats were the most populous animal type in the European Union, followed by dogs and ornamental birds. Other popular pets that year included small mammals, ornamental fish, and pet reptiles. There were approximately 7.3 million pet reptiles in the European Union in 2022. Germany was home to the highest population of pet dogs in the European Union in 2022, at around 10.6 million.

Pet retailers in Europe

The German pet food company Fressnapf was Europe’s top pet care retailer, with more than 2.1 billion euros in annual turnover in 2019. Fressnapf’s competitors in Europe are prominent pet care retailers such as the United Kingdom’s Pets at Home, the Belgian company Aveve, and the German Futterhaus, amongst others. Pets at Home is the largest pet retailer in the United Kingdom, recording annual revenues exceeding 1.32 billion British pounds in 2022.