More cats, same number of dogs: pet ownership in Austria in 2024
As many as 46% of households in the country have at least 1 pet. GlobalPETS shares the latest industry figures.
New figures from the Austrian Pet Food Association (ÖHTV) and the Austrian Pet Trade (WKO) reveal that 1.8 million households—46% of the total population—own at least 1 pet this year.
Euromonitor estimated that 44% of Austrian households had a cat or a dog in 2022, which marks a 2% increase over 2 years.
The cat population has increased slightly from 1.98 million in 2022 to more than 2 million this year, while the dog population remained stable at 836,000.
Nearly 3 out of 10 Austrian households (28%) have a cat, followed by 17% owning a dog. Other pets, such as rabbits, tortoises, ornamental fish or birds, can be found in 14% of the country’s households—2% less than 2 years ago.
Most pets in East Austria
The research concludes that 25% of all pets live in eastern Austria, followed by central Austria (24%) and southern Austria (22%). The capital, Vienna, is home to 17% of the country’s total pet population, and western Austria ends off the list with 12%.
Cats are well distributed throughout the country, with only Vienna falling slightly behind. Most dogs (24%) live in eastern Austria.
Ornamental fish are popular in the southern and eastern parts of the country, while turtles are more prevalent in the east. Birds, hares and rabbits are most popular in the central part of the country.
Those aged between 50 and 64 represent 32% of the total pet owners in Austria, followed by those aged 35 to 49 (30%). The ÖHTV and WKO highlight that the number of pet owners aged 40 and over has increased in Austria since 2022.
Older pets
The survey finds that as the national pet population is increasing slightly, the number of dogs and cats over 10 years old has also recently risen.
The number of old cats in the country increased from 32% in 2019 to 36% in 2024. The research concludes that 12% of households own felines older than 15 years.
Furthermore, the number of older dogs rose from 27% in 2020 to 30% in 2024.
Retail channels
Pet stores are the preferred purchasing channel for Austrian dog owners (36%), followed by discount stores (17%) and supermarkets (14%). The popularity of e-commerce remains stable at 12%.
23% of Austrian cat owners buy their pet-related goods from supermarkets, followed by hypermarkets (17%), pet shops (16%), discount stores (15%), drugstores (15%) and e-commerce sites (12%).
The ÖHTV and the WKO have historically conducted pet population surveys independently. However, the latest figures have been collected and presented together. In the future, these statistics will be published every 2 years instead of 3.
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