Russia’s pet population has risen 11% since 2020

According to a survey from the Center for Animal Nutrition and Welfare in Russia reported by the Russian state-owned news agency TASS, the number of pets in the country grew to 74.8 million in 2023.

More than 6 out of 10 pets living in Russian households are cats—49.2 million. Dogs accounted for 25.5 million last year.

The pet population in Russia increased by 11% between 2020 and 2023, with the cat population increasing by 5.5 million (+13%) and the dog population increasing by 1.7 million (+7%).

The research, conducted in 2023 by market research firm Ipsos, consisted of 770,000 telephone interviews.  

Food and breed

According to the survey, 86% of Russian dog and cat parents fed their animals with commercial food last year.

It also unveils that 60% of dogs were purebred, an increase from 54% in 2020. German Shepherds are the most popular purebred dogs in the country. 

Other popular breeds include the Central Asian Shepherd, Chihuahua, Yorkshire Terrier and Siberian Laika.

Pet adoption attitudes

As many as 4 out of 10 cat parents admitted they adopted their pet from the street or through adverts. An additional 27% acquired their animals from a kennel or breeder. Some respondents got them from friends or as a gift (14%).

Demographic trends

The data shows that Russian cities with a population of less than 500,000 contributed the most to the growth of the domestic animal population. 57% of households in these cities owned a pet.

Cities with a population of more than 1 million tended to have fewer pets, with 46% of households owning 1. In the capital, Moscow, only 42% of households owned a pet in 2023.

The research found that two-thirds of the Russian cat population lived in cities. The same was observed with dogs, with more than half (61%) of the country’s dogs living in urban environments.