In their latest report, the European Pet Food Federation (FEDIAF) estimated the number of dogs in Europe in 2017. While this allows a ranking of dog population in these countries by total number, the ranking by dogs per human differs from the gross numbers of dogs in each European nation. In several cases, such as the Czech Republic, nations with lower numbers of dogs in total have higher numbers per person than countries with larger dog populations, such as Russia. For the estimates of per capita dog population, see the infographic below. NOTE: The math on the infographic was corrected and revised on July 31.
The per capita population of pets in each nation was estimated by dividing the approximate population of each country in 2018 by the pet population from the FEDIAF report. Human population data was taken from Worldometer.info, which elaborated the numbers using United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division figures. Estimated 2017 human population data was not readily available.
Top 10 dog-owning nations in Europe in 2017
FEDIAF estimated that at least 80 million European households include at least one pet animal. In European Union countries, 18 percent of households owned dogs, compared to 21 percent in Europe as a whole.
The top countries for dog ownership were:
- Russia – 16,400,000 dogs
- Germany – 9,200,000 dogs
- United Kingdom – 8,650,000 dogs
- Poland – 7,550,000 dogs
- France – 7,400,000 dogs
- Italy – 6,970,000 dogs
- Spain – 6,270,000 dogs
- Romania – 4,130,000 dogs
- Czech Republic – 2,150,000 dogs
- Portugal – 2,050,000 dogs
European pet food industry in 2017
FEDIAF counted 132 pet food producing companies in Europe in 2017. Those companies operated approximately 200 production facilities.
Sales turnover value of pet food in Europe reached EUR 20.5 billion in 2017, according to FEDIAF data. Sales volume hit approximately 8.5 million tons. Over the past three years, the European pet food industry grew an estimated 2 percent.
