Post-pandemic shifts in pet ownership

The rise in pet numbers driven by the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have plateaued. Yet a comparison of 9 countries across various parts of the world shows that people are still very much interested in having pets as companions.

Downward trends: US, Japan

The pandemic had a profound impact on our lives and pet ownership numbers grew. But since 2021, many countries report stable or reduced pet populations. In the US, according to the American Pet Products Association (APPA), there has been an overall decline in the total pet population, with the share of households owning pets dropping from 70% in 2020 to 63% in 2024. The decline in dog ownership, from 54% in 2020 to 44% in 2024, is greater than that of cats, which went from 35% to 30% at the same time.

Figures from the Japan Pet Food Association (JPFA) indicate a decline in the number of annually adopted animals between 2022 and 2023: 7% fewer dogs and 17% fewer cats. This marks the end of a 3-year increase driven by the pet industry’s pandemic boom.

Continuing increases: France, UK

Some European countries have reported increases that have continued since COVID. In France, for example, the number of pets grew by 5% between 2020 and 2024. This was mainly driven by the rise in households owning a cat or dog. Ownership of most other types of pets in the country remained stable or declined. This includes indoor birds (from 5.3 million to 3.7 million) and terrariums (from 3.3 million to 2.5 million).

The UK witnessed a remarkable increase in pet ownership between 2021 and 2024, with a 9% rise overall from 29 million to 32 million. The growth was seen across different types of pets. Dog numbers increased by 13% and cats by 4%. Populations of indoor birds, tortoises and snakes also rose slightly. The exceptions were rabbits and guinea pigs, with lower numbers recorded than in 2021.

Slight rises: Italy, Austria, Netherlands

Both Italy and Austria have reported a 1% increase in pet numbers since 2021. The number of dogs in both countries has more or less stabilized, at just under 9 million in Italy and 840,000 in Austria, while there were only slight changes in other pet populations.

The Netherlands had a total of 7.8 million pets in 2022, also equaling a 1% increase from 2021, although cat numbers decreased by 200,000.

Declining populations: Australia, Germany

Australia experienced the largest decline in pet ownership among the countries analyzed, with a 6% decrease from 30.4 million in 2021 to 28.7 million in 2022. Despite this overall decline, the number of cats in the country increased by 9%, suggesting a shift in pet preferences rather than a total drop in popularity.

In Germany, the number of pets in households dropped by 1% between 2021 and 2023 to 35.5 million. The most notable change was a 6% decrease in the number of cats kept as pets, while the number of dogs increased by 2%.

Fish and small animals

There are interesting developments in some countries where fish populations are registered as pets. France has seen the biggest change, with a 15% increase in fish numbers between 2021 and 2023, and 29.8 million fish now in household aquariums. In contrast, the Netherlands and Germany saw declines of 4% and 5% respectively, while Italy (29.9 million) and Australia (11.3 million) reported stable numbers of fish, reflecting a steady interest in this kind of pet.

Another notable trend during the pandemic was the increased popularity of smaller pets like hamsters, rabbits and reptiles. The trends diverge across countries, though. The UK and the Netherlands saw category increases of 9% and 5% to 3.6 million and 1 million respectively, while in Italy the numbers were flat. In Germany and France there were 5% and 10% drops in smaller pet numbers.

The types of pets included in the total pet population numbers given in this article may vary slightly due to the availability of detailed statistics.