Pet ownership is rising globally, with the number of pets closing in on nearly a billion pets worldwide. Driving this growth in pet ownership is a growing middle class with disposable income that can be spent on their animals.
Along with a trend towards greater pet ownership and pets living longer, the cost of veterinary expenses is also increasing. However, pet insurance ownership remains low in most markets.
In this post, we’ll unpack the latest data on pet ownership, the costs of having a pet cat or dog and the size of the pet insurance market.
Key pet insurance statistics: Our top picks
- 900M global pet owners in 2024.
- 58% of homeowners own at least one pet.
- 63% of Millennial dog owners are men.
- 11.4% increase in average dog lifespan (U.S., 2002–2016).
- 60.48% of insured pets are dogs.
- 4% of dogs and 1% of cats insured in North America.
- $18.32B global pet insurance market value in 2024.
- $28,801 average lifetime cost of owning a dog in the U.S.
How many people own pets?
- 900M people globally own pets.
- 70% of U.S. households have at least one pet (up from 68% in 2016).
- 45% of German households own pets (34.3 million pets living in the country).
- 32% of U.S. pet owners are Millennials (ages 25–40). Gen Z (people under the age of 25) at 20%.
- 43.5% YoY growth in Gen Z pet ownership (U.S., 2023–2024).
- 25% of German pet owners are over 60.
Source: Health for Animals, American Pet Products Association, PetfoodIndustry.com
How does gender influence pet ownership?
- 63% of Millennial dog owners are men; 37% are women.
54% of Millennial cat owners are women; 45% are men.
Source: American Pet Products Association
What are the most popular pets?
- The most common pet is a dog. 1 in 3 homes globally has a dog.
- 25% of pet owners on Earth have cats.
- 133M cats vs. 92M dogs in the EU.
- In Germany, there are approximately 15.7 million cats and 10.5 million dogs.
- In China, there are approximately 74M dogs.
In the USA, there are approximately 85M dogs.
Source: Health for Animals, PetfoodIndustry.com, Insuranceopedia, American Veterinary Medical Association
Which countries have the highest rates of pet ownership?
Outside of the United States and China, Brazil has the highest number of pets. Brazilian pet owners have roughly 54.2 million dogs and 23.9 million cats.
Here is the breakdown of countries by the number of pet cats and dogs:
Source: Health for Animals
How does income influence pet ownership?
Pet ownership is typically more prevalent in households with higher incomes:
- 60% of U.S. households earning >$80K own pets.
- 36% of households earning <$20K own pets.
- 58% of homeowners own dogs; 36% own cats.
- 39% of renters own dogs; 29% own cats.
Source: FinanceBuzz, Forbes
How many people have more than one pet?
The majority of pet owners typically have more than one pet:
- 42% of German cat-owning households have two or more cats.
- 45% of U.S. cat households have two or more cats.
- Multi-pet households in the country have, on average, 1.5 dogs and 1.8 cats per household.
- 47% of rural U.S. adults have multiple pets.
- 71% of rural U.S. adults own at least one pet.
Source: PetfoodIndustry.com, Forbes
What are the leading causes of pet mortality?
The average lifespan of pets has steadily increased over the past 20 years.
In the United States, the average life expectancy of dogs increased from 10.5 years to 11.8 years between 2002 and 2016, representing an 11.4% increase.
In Japan, dogs live 50% longer today than they did in the 1980s, while cats’ average life expectancy has grown by 230% during the same period.
Here is the breakdown of the leading causes of mortality for cats and dogs:
Source: National Library of Medicine, National Library of Medicine, Health for Animals
How big is the pet insurance pet market?
- $18.32B global market value (2024).
- 17.97% CAGR projected (2025–2030).
- Europe represents 41.58% of the global market.
- 85.18% of policies cover both accidents and illnesses.
- 60.48% of insured pets are dogs, making them the most commonly insured type of pet.
Source: Grand View Research
How many people have pet insurance?
- Nearly 38% of households have incurred debt to cover the cost of pet-related medical care.
- 6.25M insured pets in North America (up from 5.36M in 2022).
- 4% of dogs and 1% of cats insured in North America.
- 30% of German dog owners have full health insurance for pets.
- 23% of German cat owners have full coverage.
- 27% of German dog owners and 18% of cat owners have surgical insurance.
- 80% of pets are insured in Sweden.
- 47% of dog owners are unlikely to buy insurance in the next 3 months.
Source: Grand View Research, The Insurance Emporium, Forbes, Insuranceopedia
What are the top reasons for not buying pet insurance?
- 42% cite perceived high cost as the reason for not buying insurance.
- 89% of dog owners overestimate insurance cost.
- 76% overestimate by at least 3x the actual cost.
Here is the breakdown of the top 5 reasons among dog owners for not owning pet insurance:
Source: Forbes
What is the average cost of owning a dog?
With the average lifespan of pet dogs increasing over the last two decades, pet owners have to prepare for 8 – 15 years of pet-related expenses.
The estimated cost of owning a dog for the first year is $1,300 – $2,800. These costs include:
- The price of buying a puppy from a store or breeder
- Adoption fees for dogs from a shelter
- Spaying or neutering
- Food
- Vet visits
- Medicine
- Toys
- Bedding
- Licensing fees (depending on the state or country)
This excludes the cost of pet insurance, dog walking services, or daycare. Sending a dog to doggy day care twice a week can increase the annual cost of ownership by an average of $2,980 per year.
Even without these additional costs, the average lifetime cost of owning a dog across the United States is approximately $28,801.
In the United Kingdom, the average lifetime cost of owning a dog is approximately £ 21,000 ($ 26,000). For smaller dogs under 15 kgs, the estimated lifetime cost decreases to $24,454 (£18,414).
Source: Petwise, Insuranceopedia, Forbes, The Canine Times
What is the average cost of owning a cat?
The estimated cost of owning a dog for the first year is $960 – $2,500 for cats. These costs include:
- The price of buying a cat from a store or breeder
- Adoption fees for cats from a shelter
- Spaying or neutering
- Food
- Vet visits
- Medicine
- Litter
- Toys
- Bedding
- Licensing fees (depending on the state or country)
The average lifetime cost of owning a cat across the United States is approximately $15,000 – $45,000.
Here is the breakdown of estimated annual costs for households with cats, dogs and both:
Source: Petwise, Insuranceopedia, Forbes
What are the most common pet illnesses?
The most common reasons for veterinary visits for cats are Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) and skin conditions in dogs.
Here is the breakdown of the most common illnesses in cats and dogs:
The average cost of treating a UTI in cats is $1,100. However, the most expensive treatment for both cats and dogs is cancer, costing $3,800 and $4,100, respectively.
Here is the average cost of medical treatment for common cat and dog conditions:
Source: Forbes
What is the average pet insurance claim amount?
The average pet insurance claim amount varies by region:
- In the United States, it is $445 per claim
- In the United Kingdom, it is $887 (£668) per claim.
- In Germany, it is $260 (€230) per claim.
29.8% of pet insurance claims submitted are for medication, making it the most common claim type.
The average policy owner submits 3.07 pet insurance claims per policy.
Here is the breakdown of the five most common pet insurance claims:
Source: Truepanion, Insurance Times, Feather Insurance
How big is the dog liability insurance market?
The global market for pet liability insurance was valued at approximately $2.1 billion in 2023 and projected to reach $4.8 billion by 2032.
About 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs each year with costs related to dog bites and related injuries reaching $1.57 billion in 2024.
There were 22,658 dog bite claims submitted in 2024, a 18.9% increase from 19,062 in 2023. The average cost per claim also increased from $58,545 to $69,272 between 2023 and 2024.
Here is the breakdown of the estimated number and cost of dog bite claims from 2015 to 2024 in the United States:
In Germany, our data shows that the average claim amount for dog liability insurance was €611. The average refund amount was €498, with the largest refund amount being €2,314.
76% of claims submitted were for property damage.
Source: Feather Insurance, Insurance Information Institute, DataIntelo
