Cat and Dog Population in Europe
Updated: October 13, 2022.
As of, there are around 145 million pet animals in the European Union (including Norway and Switzerland). This is a 5 million increase compared to 2021 (when there were around 140 million pets among us). Among those pets are about 66 million dogs and 79 million cats. Cooper Pet Care has compiled data from various reliable sources to inform about the cat and dog population in countries that are part of the EU.
All data is up-to-date.
Cat and Dog Population by Country
| Country | Pets | Dogs | Cats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 2.822.000 | 837.000 | 1.985.000 |
| Belgium | 3.425.000 | 1.340.000 | 2.085.000 |
| Bulgaria | 1.565.000 | 750.000 | 815.000 |
| Croatia | 787.500 | 350.000 | 437.500 |
| Cyprus | 109.458 | 48.648 | 60.810 |
| Czech Republic | 3.355.000 | 2.205.000 | 1.150.000 |
| Denmark | 1.290.000 | 610.000 | 680.000 |
| Estonia | 525.000 | 235.000 | 290.000 |
| Finland | 1.735.000 | 760.000 | 975.000 |
| France | 22.600.000 | 7.500.000 | 15.100.000 |
| Germany | 27.000.000 | 10.300.000 | 16.700.000 |
| Greece | 1.265.000 | 660.000 | 605.000 |
| Hungary | 5.180.000 | 2.800.000 | 2.380.000 |
| Ireland | 783.000 | 457.000 | 326.000 |
| Italy | 18.750.000 | 8.700.000 | 10.050.000 |
| Latvia | 680.000 | 270.000 | 410.000 |
| Lithuania | 1.155.000 | 550.000 | 605.000 |
| Luxembourg | 124.875 | 55.500 | 69.375 |
| Malta | 328.169 | 199.733 | 128.436 |
| Netherlands | 5.000.000 | 1.850.000 | 3.150.000 |
| Norway | 1.273.000 | 490.000 | 783.000 |
| Poland | 10.548.980 | 6.466.732 | 4.082.248 |
| Portugal | 3.615.000 | 2.105.000 | 1.510.000 |
| Romania | 8.575.000 | 4.195.000 | 4.380.000 |
| Slovakia | 1.470.000 | 920.000 | 550.000 |
| Slovenia | 750.000 | 295.000 | 455.000 |
| Spain | 15.172.000 | 9.313.000 | 5.859.000 |
| Sweden | 2.370.000 | 890.000 | 1.480.000 |
| Switzerland | 2.397.000 | 544.000 | 1.853.000 |
| Totals: | 144.923.982 | 65.969.613 | 78.954.369 |
(Data via: FEDIAF.org, NVG, MaltaToday, FCI.be: here, here, and here)
Key Conclusions
Below are some of the most notable conclusions based on the data collected:
- Germany is the leading country with the largest population in both cats and dogs.
- Cats are the leading pet animal in the EU.
- All countries appear to have a higher population of cats than dogs.
- Spain shows a much higher preference for dogs with their population surpassing the cat population by almost 6(!) million.
Veterinarians in the European Union
In a 2020 report by the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE), it is estimated that there are 184,374 active veterinarians in the EU (including Norway and Switzerland). Find below in detail the population of vets in Europe in comparison to each country’s population.
| Country | Population | Pets | Veterinarians |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | 8.859.000 | 2.822.000 | 3.153 |
| Belgium | 11.460.000 | 3.425.000 | 6.200 |
| Bulgaria | 7.000.000 | 1.565.000 | 3.472 |
| Croatia | 4.076.000 | 787.500 | 1.131 |
| Cyprus | 875.899 | 109.458 | 370 |
| Czech Republic | 10.650.000 | 3.355.000 | 4.571 |
| Denmark | 5.806.000 | 1.290.000 | 2.819 |
| Estonia | 1.325.000 | 525.000 | 854 |
| Finland | 5.518.000 | 1.735.000 | 2.025 |
| France | 67.060.000 | 22.600.000 | 19.874 |
| Germany | 83.020.000 | 27.000.000 | 31.556 |
| Greece | 10.720.000 | 1.265.000 | 2.545 |
| Hungary | 9.773.000 | 5.180.000 | 3.052 |
| Ireland | 4.904.000 | 783.000 | 2.752 |
| Italy | 60.360.000 | 1.8750.000 | 29.358 |
| Latvia | 1.920.000 | 680.000 | 687 |
| Lithuania | 2.794.000 | 1.155.000 | 1.995 |
| Luxembourg | 613.894 | 124.875 | 288 |
| Malta | 502.653 | 328.169 | 70 |
| Netherlands | 17.280.000 | 5.000.000 | 4.742 |
| Norway | 5.328.000 | 1.273.000 | 3.000 |
| Poland | 37.970.000 | 10.548.980 | 11.612 |
| Portugal | 10.280.000 | 3.615.000 | 6.506 |
| Romania | 19.410.000 | 8.575.000 | 6.383 |
| Slovakia | 5.450.000 | 1.470.000 | 2.368 |
| Slovenia | 2.081.000 | 750.000 | 952 |
| Spain | 46.940.000 | 15.172.000 | 26.349 |
| Sweden | 10.230.000 | 2.370.000 | 3.590 |
| Switzerland | 8.450.000 | 2.397.000 | 2.100 |
| Totals: | 460.656.446 | 144.923.982 | 184.374 |
(Data via: FVE.org)
Key Conclusions
- Malta has the least amount of vets in the EU with an estimate of 4688 pets per vet.
- Ireland and Cyprus are the leading countries in most vets based on their population. In Ireland, each vet corresponds to 283 pets, while in Cyprus there are 296 pets per vet.
- Spain has got a huge population of vets which surpasses that of France, despite the pet population in France being twice as that of Spain.