Over the years, pets have evolved from being a strange and wonderful distraction to an integral part of families all over the world. As human populations have grown, so too have pet populations, and with so many pets on the planet it’s fascinating to see just how this population is dispersed.

It’s no surprise that man’s best friend, the dog, is the most loved household pet, but did you know fish and birds were a close second? What drives certain countries to be so pet obsessed, while others are seemingly uninterested? Did you know that Brazilians love small dogs while Saudis prefer the bigger breeds?

Read on to learn which nations have the world’s largest populations of dogs, cats, birds, and fish, and some other interesting pet facts from around the world.

Brazil35,800,000

TOP 20
DOG POPULATIONS		 dog
USA 69,929,000
China 27,400,000
Russia 12,520,000
Japan 12,000,000
Philippines 11,600,000
India 10,200,000
Argentina 9,200,000
UK 9,000,000
France 7,570,000
South Africa 7,400,000
Poland 7,311,000
Italy 7,000,000
Germany 5,300,000
Ethiopia 5,000,000
Spain 4,720,000
Romania 4,166,000
Australia 3,700,000
Czech Republic 3,152,000
Hungary 2,856,000
TOP 20
CAT POPULATIONS		 cat
USA 74,059,000
China 53,100,000
Russia 17,800,000
Brazil 12,466,000
France 11,480,000
Germany 8,200,000
UK 8,000,000
Italy 7,400,000
Ukraine 7,350,000
Japan 7,300,000
Poland 5,550,000
Romania 3,891,000
Spain 3,385,000
Argentina 3,000,000
Netherlands 2,877,000
Hungary 2,240,000
Australia 2,200,000
South Africa 2,000,000
Belgium 1,884,100
Czech Republic 1,750,000
TOP 20
BIRD POPULATIONS		 bird
Brazil 191,001,000
Italy 13,000,000
USA 8,300,000
Australia 7,800,000
France 6,200,000
Netherlands 4,490,000
Spain 3,718,000
Germany 3,500,000
Russia 2,800,000
Belgium 2,700,000
Poland 1,300,000
UK 1,000,000
Greece 980,000
Portugal 640,000
New Zealand 527,000
Hungary 445,000
Switzerland 383,000
Sweden 322,000
Austria 281,000
Romania 264,000
TOP 20
FISH POPULATIONS		 fish
USA 57,750,000
France 37,300,000
Brazil 26,500,000
Australia 20,500,000
UK 20,000,000
Germany 2,000,000
New Zealand 1,678,000
Italy 1,540,000
Russia 770,000
Netherlands 708,000
Sweden 262,000
Poland 231,000
Spain 170,000
Switzerland 169,000
Belgium 146,000
Romania 96,000
Portugal 74,000
Austria 71,000
Hungary 58,000
Greece 38,000

pet-facts

    • Americans spend
      over $50 billion
      per annum on
      their pets.
    • 27% of American
      pet owners admit
      to having had professional
      photographs taken of their pets.2
    • 36% of Americans
      give their dog
      birthday presents.
    • 9 in 10 Americans say
      they consider
      their pet to
      be a part
      of their
      family.
    • More than half of all Americans
      have a dog or a cat in their home.
    • 555,000
      households in
      the United States
      have a pet snake.
    • Pet ownership in the US
      has more
      than tripled
      since the
      1970s.
    • Half of all pet owners in the USA
      admit to
      talking to
      their pets.
    • Romania has the world’s most
      balanced pet population, with 45%
      of households owning dogs and
      45% of households owning cats.
    • While Switzerland’s dog
      population is shrinking, India
      has the fastest growing dog
      population in the world.
    • Norwegians spend the most
      money feeding their dogs, totalling
      roughly $629 a year, while
      Vietnamese spend the least.
    • Fish are the most
      popular pet
      in the UK.
    • Brazil has the highest
      number of small dogs per
      capita in the world.
    • 68% of New Zealand households
      own a pet, higher than
      any other country on
      the planet.
    • Saudi Arabia has the world’s
      highest proportion of big
      dogs, with 70% of their
      dog population belonging
      to a large breed.
    • 92% of Aussie cats
      and 76% of
      Aussie dogs
      are kept
      indoors.
    • 83% of Australians
      have had a pet at
      some point in
      their lives.
    • 53% of Aussies
      without
      a pet would
      like to own one.
  • Australian pet owners visit their doctors
    less than non pet owners, and they also
    recover from illness faster.
  • In Australia, 20% of Gen Y pet owners
    have pet insurance, compared
    to 12% of their baby boomer
    counterparts.
Why is it important to have pet insurance?

For us humans, as well as our cats and dogs, life can be unpredictable. This means that at any time in his life your beloved four- legged friend can suddenly fall ill, or sustain an accidental injury. If this happens, you want to be able to give your pet the care he needs and deserves.

With Pet Insurance in place you can have the peace of mind knowing that you will be able to afford vet fees if something unexpectedly goes wrong and you won’t have to worry about borrowing money, dipping into your savings or even worse being faced with a hard financially based decision about the treatment that you can give your pet.