Russia provided a home to the most dogs overall in 2018, while Romania had the highest per capita dog density. Those dog demographics are similar to the cat population in Europe. The European Pet Food Federation (FEDIAF) presented the estimated 2018 population of dogs, cats, reptiles and other pets in Europe in the latest edition of the report “FEDIAF Facts & Figures,” along with other data on EU member and other European pet food markets.
Russia, Germany and the United Kingdom held the largest numbers of dogs overall. Some of the countries with the highest dog populations ranked lower in per capita dog population. The top countries for dog ownership per capita in 2018 were Romania, Portugal and Poland.
Top 10 dog-owning nations in Europe in 2018
- Russia - 17,500,000
- Germany - 9,400,000
- United Kingdom - 9,000,000
- Poland - 7,600,000
- Italy - 7,002,000
- France - 6,950,000
- Spain - 6,270,000
- Romania - 4,000,000
- Portugal - 2,100,000
- Czech Republic - 2,000,000
Top 10 dogs per capita in Europe in 2018
- Romania - 0.205
- Portugal - 0.205
- Poland - 0.200
- Czech Republic - 0.188
- Spain - 0.135
- United Kingdom - 0.134
- Hungary - 0.122
- Russia - 0.122
- Italy - 0.118
- Germany - 0.114
The per capita population of dogs in each nation was estimated by dividing the dog population from the FEDIAF report by the approximate population of each country in 2018. Human population data was taken from Worldometer.info, which elaborated the numbers using United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division figures.
About European Pet Food Federation
The European Pet Food Federation represents the European pet food industry with around 200 production sites. It is an umbrella organization of national pet food industry associations. FEDIAF’s mission is to be the voice of the European pet food industry collaborating with authorities, regulators and academics for achieving favorable conditions for the supply of safe, nutritious and palatable products to pets and their owners. Based in Brussels, FEDIAF states that is is committed to promoting responsible pet ownership, to the wellbeing of pet animals, to their important social role and to sustainable development.
The annual Facts & Figures from FEDIAF are compiled using figures from FEDIAF and its member associations and estimations based upon where indicated.
