Key Takeaways
- The U.S. leads in sheer numbers. Americans keep roughly 70 million dogs and 74 million cats — more pets than any other country on Earth.
- Russia is the cat capital. About 59% of Russian households own a cat, the highest cat-ownership rate of any country in the world.
- Latin America loves pets the most. Around 80% of households in Argentina and Mexico own a pet — the highest rates anywhere — and Argentina keeps among the most dogs per person.
- Roughly a third of the world owns a pet. Worldwide, about 33% of households keep a pet; across Europe the figure is 49% (FEDIAF, 2025).
- Population is not the same as ownership rate. Big countries top the raw totals, but the highest percentage of dog and cat owners is found in Latin America and Russia — not the U.S. or China.
Humans are devoted to their dogs and cats — and the numbers prove it. As societies grow wealthier and more urban, more households welcome a pet into the family, and the global pet population has climbed steadily for decades. But just how many people own a dog or a cat, and where? Below we break down pet ownership by country, both by raw numbers and by the percentage of households that actually keep a pet.
The two measures tell very different stories. The biggest countries dominate the totals — the United States alone accounts for around 144 million dogs and cats — but when you look at the percentage of pet owners, small and middle-income nations in Latin America and Eastern Europe leap to the top. Here are the latest pet ownership statistics by country, mapped.
Which Countries Have the Most Dogs and Cats?
By raw population, the ranking is dominated by the world’s largest and wealthiest nations. The United States is the clear leader, home to roughly 70 million dogs and 74 million cats — more than half of U.S. households keep at least one pet. Brazil and China follow, with China’s cats (over 53 million) far outnumbering its dogs as urban apartment living favors lower-maintenance pets. The table below shows the latest available figures for the leading countries.
| Country | Dogs | Cats |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 69.9M | 74.1M |
| Brazil | ~63M | ~12M |
| China | 27.4M | 53.1M |
| Russia | 17.6M | 23.3M |
| Mexico | ~22M | ~7M |
| United Kingdom | 12.7M | 11.9M |
| Japan | 12.0M | 7.3M |
| Philippines | 11.6M | — |
| Germany | 10.6M | 15.2M |
| India | 10.2M | — |
| Spain | 9.3M | 5.9M |
| Argentina | 9.2M | 3.0M |
| Italy | 8.8M | 10.2M |
| Poland | 8.1M | 7.3M |
| Canada | ~7.9M | ~8.5M |
| France | 7.6M | 14.9M |
| Ukraine | 4.9M | 7.6M |
A few patterns stand out. France, Germany and Italy are decidedly cat countries — France keeps nearly twice as many cats as dogs. The Philippines and India rank high for dogs but barely register for pet cats. And Brazil, with a fast-growing middle class, has become one of the planet’s great dog-owning nations — Brazilians are often said to keep more pets than children.
Which Countries Have the Highest Percentage of Dog and Cat Ownership?
Raw numbers reward big populations, so to find where pets are truly part of daily life you have to look at the percentage of households that own one. By that measure the map flips: the leaders are in Latin America and Eastern Europe, not North America or Asia.
Global surveys consistently put Argentina and Mexico at the top, with around 80% of households owning a pet — the highest rates in the world. Argentina in particular has one of the highest levels of dog ownership anywhere. Russia is the cat capital of the world: about 59% of Russian households own a cat, far ahead of any other country. In the United States, around two-thirds of households keep a pet, while across Europe the average is 49% (FEDIAF, 2025). Worldwide, roughly one in three households — about 33% — owns a pet.
| Country / region | Households that own a pet |
|---|---|
| Argentina | ~80% |
| Mexico | ~80% |
| United States | ~66% |
| Russia | ~56% (59% own a cat) |
| Europe (average) | 49% |
| Worldwide | ~33% |
Where Pets Are Rare
At the other end of the scale, several countries keep very few pet dogs and cats. Across much of the Middle East — including Saudi Arabia — religious and cultural attitudes mean pet ownership is low. Indonesia and Egypt also rank among the lowest, with fewer than two dogs per thousand people. In the Maldives, keeping a pet dog is effectively banned altogether.
Beyond Dogs and Cats
Dogs and cats are by far the most popular companions, but they are not the whole story. After them, fish are the third most common pet — kept by roughly 12% of pet-owning households worldwide — followed by birds at around 6%, with rabbits, reptiles and small mammals filling out the rest. Whichever animal tops the list, the global trend is the same: more households, in more countries, are choosing to share their homes with a pet.
Pet population and ownership figures vary considerably by source, methodology and survey year; the numbers here reflect the latest available estimates.
