UK Pet Population

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Every year, our UK pet population survey reaches almost 9,000 households in the UK

Commissioned since 2010, our online pet population survey provides data on the number of UK households that own a pet and the Top Ten most popular pets. 

We update these figures every Spring, usually towards the end of March. 

2024

In 2024, it is estimated that 17.2 million households (60%) own one of the UK's 36 million pets. 
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UK Pet Population 2024

Top 10 Pets

  1. Dogs: There are approximately 13.5 million dogs as pets in the UK, with 36% of households owning a dog.
  2. Cats: There are approximately 12.5 million pet cats in the UK, with 29% of all households having a cat.
  3. Indoor Birds: There are approximately 1.5 million birds kept as indoor pets in the UK, with 3% of households keeping them.
  4. Domestic Fowl: There are approximately 1.3 million domestic fowl as pets in the UK, with 1.6% of households having at least one.
  5. Rabbits: There are approximately 1 million rabbits as household pets in the UK, with 1.6% of households having at least one.
  6. Tortoises & Turtles: There are approximately 700,000 tortoises and turtles being kept as pets in the UK, with 1.6% of households having one.
  7. Horses & Ponies: There are approximately 700,000 horses as pets in the UK and 1.5% of households have one.
  8. Guinea Pigs: There are approximately 700,000 guinea pigs as pets in the UK, with 1.2% of households having at least one.
  9. Hamsters: There are approximately 600,000 hamsters as pets in the UK, with 1.5% of households having a pet lizard.
  10. Snakes There are approximately 600,000 pet snakes in the UK, with 1.3% of households having one.

Note: All figures are rounded to the nearest 100,000.

Pet Fish Population

  • 21% of households have an indoor fish tank.
  • 13% of households in the UK have an outdoor pond

Note: Kantar / Soulor Consulting online survey with 8,956 respondents, 2024