Germany’s pet population declines slightly in 2025, sales hold steady

Germany’s pet population reached 33.4 million in 2025, excluding fish and reptiles, with 43% of households owning at least 1 pet, according to the German Pet Trade & Industry Association (ZZF) and the Industrial Association of Pet Care Producers (IVH). In 2024, Germany had 33.9 million pets, with 44% of households owning them.

The data shows a slight decline in pet ownership in Germany in recent years. In 2022, there were 34.4 million pets, with 46% of households owning at least 1. This figure remained relatively stable in 2023, with a small decrease to 34.3 million pets and 45% of households.

The 2025 data is based on a survey of 5,000 homes, combined with market data from IVH and ZZF member companies.

Ownership dynamics

Pet ownership varied by household size in 2025. Around 26% of pets lived in single-person households, compared with 35% in 2-person households and 39% in households with 3 or more people.

By age group, those aged 60 and older comprised 25% of pet owners, followed by those aged 50-59 (21%). Ownership rates were lower among younger groups, at 19% for those aged 30-39, 18% for those aged 40-49 and 17% for those aged 29 or younger.

In addition, 67% of families with children owned a pet, while 13% of all households kept at least 2 different types of pets.

Pet preferences

Cats remain the most popular pets in Germany, with 15.7 million living in 1 out of 4 households in 2025. Dogs follow, with a population of 10 million across 1 out of 5 homes. Both categories saw a slight decline from 2024, when there were 15.9 million cats and 10.5 million dogs.

The population of small animals – such as rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters and mice – rose marginally to 4.4 million, now present in 5% of households, up from 4.3 million the previous year.

Bird and aquarium ownership recorded a slight increase. While birds went from 3.2 million in 2024 to 3.3 million in 2025, fish went from 2 million to 2.1 million. Terrariums declined slightly to around 1 million, representing 1% of households.

Pet industry revenue

Industry revenue has remained flat in recent years. In 2025, the German pet market reached €6.99 billion ($8.2B), slightly down from €7 billion ($8.2B) in both 2024 and 2023, but still above €6.5 billion ($7.6B) in 2022 and €6 billion ($7B) in 2021.

Pet food generated €4.3 billion ($5B) in 2025, marking a marginal 0.3% year-over-year (YoY) increase, while the pet accessories segment declined by 4.6% YoY to €1.1 billion ($1.2B).

Total brick-and-mortar sales reached €5.3 billion ($6.2B), while online sales totaled €1.5 billion ($1.8B). Food for wild birds contributed an additional €134 million ($157M).

The associations say that online sales continue to gain importance, with a 0.6% increase from 2025 and 26% higher than 2022, although no species-specific breakdown is currently available.

Pet food and accessories

Cat food remained the largest category, generating €2.3 billion ($2.7B) in sales, with wet food accounting for €1.6 billion ($1.8B). Dog food followed at €1.7 billion ($1.99B), led by snacks, which contributed €768 million ($899M).

Sales of bird food, ornamental fish food and small animal food collectively reached €204 million ($239M). Food retail channels accounted for 66% of total sales, with the remainder generated through specialized pet stores.

Cat litter led the accessories category with €370 million ($433M) in sales, followed by cat accessories at €230 million ($269M) and dog accessories at €200 million ($234M).

Specialized retailers remained the dominant channel for accessories, accounting for 76% of sales, with the remainder coming from food retail outlets.