Italian pet market 2025 (II): Dogs lead household ownership in 2025 despite cats outnumbering them

A report from the Italian pet industry association, Assalco, estimates the country’s pet population at 53.6 million as of 2025.

Fish remained the most popular pet by number, with more than 25 million living in 1.7 million aquariums nationwide. Cats (11 million) and dogs (9.1 million) followed, with numbers similar to 2024.

In last year’s edition, Assalco estimated Italy’s pet population at approximately 65 million in 2024. The variation compared to this year resulted from a change in methodology following the appointment of a new firm to conduct the national surveys. 

Nevertheless, the association notes that “while the figures are slightly different, dog and cat populations remain stable, with the small dog population particularly growing.”

Population vs. ownership

However, there is a significant difference between pet population figures and pet ownership rates in Italy. While fish account for the largest share of the pet population, only 5.5% of Italian households own at least 1 fish.

In addition, although there are more cats than dogs overall, dogs lead in household penetration. Around 28.7% of Italian households own at least 1 dog, compared to 26.7% that own at least 1 cat.

For other pets, bird ownership stands at 5.1% of households despite a population of 4.1 million birds. 

Reptiles and amphibians, with a population of 2.7 million, are owned by 2.6% of households, while small mammals, with a population of 1.4 million, are owned by 2.2% of households. In 2024, the number of reptiles and small mammals totaled 3.2 million.

Overall, more than half of Italian families (54.5%) live with at least 1 pet. Notably, among families with young children, the percentage rises to 66.7%, and it is over 60% for families living with adult children aged 20 or older.

Dog ownership trends

In 2025, Italian households owned an average of 1.2 dogs, and more than 15% of dog-owning households had multiple dogs.

According to the Assalco report, dogs are more common among families with young children, with 40.8% of these households owning at least 1 dog, compared to the national average (28.7%). Dogs are also widely present in single-parent households, where ownership reaches 34.7%.

Among single people, men are more likely to own dogs, with 25.3% of single men having a dog compared to 19.7% of single women.

Italian dog owners also show a strong preference for purebred dogs, which account for 73.1% of owned dogs, while mixed breeds represent 26.9%. The most popular breeds include poodles, Maltese dogs, Chihuahuas, German shepherds, Jack Russell terriers, Labrador retrievers, Akitas, Great Danes and beagles.

The average age of dogs is around 6 years, with the largest share falling in the 3-5 age range (31.7%). In terms of size, small-to-medium dogs weighing 5-10 kg are the most common (26.5%). The average dog weight is approximately 14.7 kg.

Cat ownership trends

Compared with dog-owning families, cat-owning families in Italy tend to have more pets on average, with 1.5 cats per household. More than a third of cat-owning households own at least 2 cats.

These animals are particularly common in households with adult children aged 20 or older, where ownership reaches 33.7%. Overall, however, cats are more evenly distributed across household types and regions compared to dogs.

While mixed-breed cats remain common (41.2%), Italian owners still prefer purebred cats, which account for 58.8% of the population. The most popular breeds include European, Persian, British Shorthair, British Longhair and Siamese.

Cats in Italy are slightly younger than dogs on average, with a mean age of 5.5 years. As with dogs, the largest concentration falls in the 3-5 age range (32.2%).

More pets per house

Other types of pets are more widespread among single-parent families, who are found to own a greater variety of species. For instance, fish account for 11% of pets in single-parent families with children, birds for 7.3%, and reptiles and small mammals for 5.7% and 4%, respectively. 

Regarding birds, the average is 3 per family, and the most common species are canaries, small parrots, large parrots, finches, and ornamental turkeys and peacocks.

Meanwhile, reptiles, amphibians, insects and other similar animals see a high average number per family (3.9). Turtles are the most common animal in this category (85.5%), followed by spiders or insects (24%), snakes (22.8%), lizards (22.2%) and amphibians (18.7%).

Lastly, most fish owners keep their pets in aquariums, which total around 1.7 million nationwide, while roughly a quarter also own ponds.

Future outlook 

Among Italian families that do not currently own pets, nearly a fifth (17.9%) say they intend to acquire one within the next 12 months. 

The Assalco report concludes that interest is higher among existing pet owners, with 32.1% expressing plans to add another pet in the next year.

Dogs rank as the most desired pet (10.8%), followed closely by cats (10.2%). Fish ranked third at 4.7%, followed by birds (3.2%), small mammals (1.8%), and reptiles and amphibians (0.9%).