Most owned cat breeds in South Korea in 2021

As of November 2021, the most popular cat breed in South Korea was the Korean short hair, with around 45.2 percent of respondents in a survey on cat ownership reporting their cat belongs to that breed. The cat population in South Korea reached around 2.25 million in the same year. A survey about pet ownership found out that about a quarter of surveyed households owned a pet, marking a slight decrease compared to the previous year.

 Decreasing trend of pet ownership

Despite the decreasing numbers of pets owned, COVID-19 affected the respondents’ decision on raising a pet. A survey stated that roughly 20.5 percent of respondents got a pet during the COVID-19 lockdown. The respondents answered that their family member or child wanting a pet was the major reason, closely followed by loneliness as the second most answered reason.

 Challenges of raising a pet 

 Regarding the challenges of raising a pet, the majority of respondents living in Seoul answered that the high costs of raising a pet were the most challenging with a share of roughly 65 percent, according to survey in 2016. On average, cat owners in South Korea spent around 100 thousand South Korean won each month. Although the monthly expenses are slightly less expensive by about 30 thousand South Korean in comparison to raising dogs, the high costs remained a leading challenge for pet owners.