Europe Counts 306 Million Pets: What FEDIAF's Latest Figures Say About Pet Ownership

12 July 2026 · Market data

FEDIAF's newest annual figures put Europe's pet population at 306 million animals across 140 million households, with cats still ahead of dogs. A look at the numbers, the growth behind them, and how to read them properly.

The headline: 306 million pets, half of all households

FEDIAF, the European pet food industry federation that compiles the continent's most-cited pet statistics, puts the European pet population at 306 million animals in its latest published figures, based on 2024 data. Those animals live in 140 million European households, which works out to 49% of households sharing their home with at least one pet. In other words: in Europe, a household with a pet is now as normal as a household without one. For anyone who has watched cafés, offices, trains and holiday parks quietly become more dog-tolerant over the past decade, the statistic mostly confirms what the street already shows.

The direction of travel is up

The previous edition of FEDIAF's Facts and Figures, based on 2023 data and covering 41 European countries, counted 299 million pets across 139 million households, so the latest figures add roughly seven million animals and another million pet-owning households year on year. The commercial side moves with it: FEDIAF reported annual pet food sales of 29.3 billion euros in that earlier edition and now puts the figure at 29.4 billion euros, on a volume of around 8.6 million tonnes of pet food per year. None of these are dramatic jumps; they describe something steadier and more interesting, a very large market that keeps growing a little every single year.

Cats keep their lead

Europe is, by the numbers, a cat continent. In FEDIAF's species breakdowns, cats have consistently outnumbered dogs: an earlier edition of the same report counted around 127 million cats living in 26% of households against 104 million dogs in 25% of households, and the cat-first ranking has held in the editions since. The gap fits the shape of European housing, since cats suit flats and urban living where large dogs struggle. It also explains a quiet boom in indoor-cat gear: when tens of millions of cats live entirely indoors, scratching furniture, climbing and window views stop being luxuries and become the cat's whole territory.

What half-of-households ownership looks like in practice

A pet in every second household changes the texture of everyday life more than any single statistic suggests: more first-time owners learning harness fit on the pavement, more dogs riding along on holiday instead of boarding, more landlords, employers and municipalities writing pet clauses because the pet-owning half of the population expects them. For new owners the practical side is mercifully simple, and it is the same list it has always been: gear that fits, honest walking routines, and travel kit that keeps the routine intact away from home. The numbers say the neighbours are learning it too.

How to read these numbers

Two caveats keep the figures honest. First, timing: FEDIAF publishes with a lag, so the numbers released in 2026 describe 2024, as the federation itself notes. Second, comparability: the report's coverage spans dozens of European countries, EU and non-EU, and methodology and country coverage have shifted between editions, which is why older editions show different totals and why year-on-year deltas are best read as direction rather than precision. The figures are compiled by an industry federation from national association data rather than a census. None of that undermines the headline; it just means the right reading is the simple one: Europe keeps roughly 300 million pets, the number edges upward, and cats run the place.

FAQ

Sources

• FEDIAF — Statistics (European pet population and pet food market)
• FEDIAF — FEDIAF Publishes 2025 Facts and Figures
• FEDIAF — Annual Facts & Figures confirming 340 million pets in Europe (earlier edition, species breakdown)