Dogs and cats are everywhere.
They’re almost in every place you visit.
Same with people who love animals and have pets.
So you might wonder…
“Are there more cats or dogs around the world?”
Keep reading to discover:
- If there more cats or dogs in the world.
- The latest dog and cat population worldwide.
- The most popular pet choice across the globe.
- And many more…
Table of contents
Are there more cats or dogs in the world?
There are more dogs than cats in the world. A recent estimate says that there are at least 900 million canines across the globe. And this number might even be close to a billion if all strays and unregistered dogs will be counted. On the other hand, there are only around 600 million cats worldwide.
How many dogs are there in the world?
There are an estimated 900 million to 1 billion dogs in the world. And less or more than 300 million of these are strays.
But take note that these are only rough numbers. And it’s because counting every dog in the streets and houses is impossible.
However, to give you an idea, I gathered info on the dog population around the globe.
So let’s take a look at it.
North America
Based on a survey, there were 89.7 million pet dogs in the US last 2017.
Compared to the data in 2000, 21.7 million Fidos were added to the population. So there was an increase of 1.28 million pet dogs every year.
Now, if that trend continues 5 years later…
There will be less or more than 96 million pet Fidos in the US this year.
And it’s already 10.67% of the estimated dog population in the world.
That’s why experts say that the US has the most dogs across the globe.
Meanwhile in Canada…
There were a reported 4.94 million pet dogs in 2016. Then it grew to 5.21 million Fidos last 2020.
So if you do the math, there was an increase of 270,000 pet dogs within 4 years.
Thus, households in Canada may have 5.48 million Fidos in total by 2024.
South America
Next to the US, Brazil has the 2nd highest number of dogs worldwide.
And from the table below, you’ll see that it has a record of 55 million Fidos. So it’s almost half of the total number in the US.
But again, that data only includes pet dogs. So there could be more canines in Brazil than reported.
| Country | Dog population (stray/pet) |
| Argentina | 9 million |
| Bolivia | 1.9 million |
| Brazil | 55 million |
| Chile | 3.9 million |
| Colombia | 5 million |
| Ecuador | 460 |
| Peru | 6.9 million |
| Venezuela | 3 million |
| Mexico | 23 million |
| Total | >107.7 million |
Europe
Statistics show that there were 89 million pet dogs in Europe in 2020. And that it might grow to 105 million by 2030.
Also, it includes the pet dog population per country. And based on th elist, Russia and Germany have the most Fidos in Europe.
| Country | Dog population (stray/pet) |
| Austria | 827,000 |
| Belgium | 1.33 million |
| Bulgaria | 741,000 |
| Denmark | 607,000 |
| Estonia | 235,000 |
| Finland | 755,000 |
| France | 7.5 million |
| Germany | 10.7 million |
| Greece | 660,000 |
| Hungary | 2.05 million |
| Ireland | 455,000 |
| Italy | 8.3 million |
| Latvia | 265,000 |
| Lithuania | 560,000 |
| Netherlands | 1.95 million |
| Poland | 7.85 million |
| Portugal | 2.08 million |
| Romania | 4.15 million |
| Slovakia | 890,000 |
| Slovenia | 295,000 |
| Spain | 6.73 million |
| Sweden | 890,000 |
| United Kingdom | 8.5 million |
| Russia | 18.2 million |
| Total | >86.52 million |
Asia
Now, let’s move on to the largest continent on Earth.
In Asia, China has the most number of dogs. And it’s only 700,000 short compared to Brazil.
| Country | Dog population (stray/pet) |
| Afghanistan | 100,000 |
| Armenia | 7,000 |
| Bahrain | 6,791 |
| Bangladesh | 18,585 |
| Bhutan | 102,000 |
| Cambodia | 5 million |
| China | 54.3 million |
| Cyprus | 250,000 |
| Georgia | 46,000 |
| Hong Kong | 700,000 |
| India | 31 million |
| Indonesia | 398,886 |
| Israel | 500,000 |
| Japan | 7.1 million |
| South Korea | 5.2 million |
| Kyrgyzstan | 200,000 |
| Lebanon | 50,000 |
| Malaysia | 402,500 |
| Mongolia | 101,430 |
| Nepal | 30,000 |
| Pakistan | 190,200 |
| Philippines | 23.29 million |
| Singapore | 81,497 |
| Sri Lanka | 3 million |
| Thailand | 12.8 million |
| East Timor | 64,658 |
| Turkey | 1.65 million |
| Vietnam | 5.4 million |
| Total | >152 million |
Australia
There’s also no reliable source for the number of stray dogs in Australia.
So I’ll share a survey about pet Fidos in the region. And from there, you’ll get a ballpark.
In 2021, there were 6.3 million pet dogs in Australia. And from 2019, there was an increase of 5.1 million Fidos.
From that data, around 1.2 million dogs are added to Australian households every 2 years.
So by 2023, there might be less or more than 7.5 million Fidos in Australia. Plus, feral dogs yet to be counted in the region.
Africa
Lastly, based on a report, there are about 9.1 million pet dogs in Africa.
This data doesn’t include strays. So, all in all, Australia has the lowest dog population in the world. Followed by Africa and topped by the US.
Reading tip: 37 Scientific Reasons Why Dogs Are Better Than Cats
How many cats are there in the world?
There are around 400 to 600 million cats in the world. But there could be less or more than this estimate.
“Why?”
Remember, cats reproduce faster than dogs. And only a few data is available about stray felines.
So it’s likely that the rough number above may not be accurate.
But if you’re curious about the cat population across the globe…
Here’s some info that you might want to know.
North America
Same with dogs, the US also has the most cats worldwide.
Isn’t it amazing?
According to a report, there are 58 million pet cats in 2019.
So, there might be less or more than 20 million felines this year, 2022.
While another survey shows that there are more than 8.1 million pet cats in Canada.
South America
Earlier, Brazil was the 2nd ‘dog-richest’ country.
But when it comes to cats, it only ranked 4th place in the world. However, it’s still the highest in South America.
| Country | Cat population (stray/pet) |
| Argentina | 4.5 million |
| Brazil | 25 million |
| Chile | 2.3 million |
| Colombia | 2.08 million |
| Peru | 3.7 million |
| Mexico | 6.59 million |
| Total | >44.17 million |
Europe
Next, I had an easy time researching about cat population in Europe.
And I think that it might be because…
Europe has more cats than dogs.
Yup. A survey about pets shows that there are more than 110 million felines in the region.
Meanwhile, only around 89 million are pet dogs.
| Country | Cat population (stray/pet) |
| Austria | 2.03 million |
| Belgium | 2 million |
| Bulgaria | 802, 000 |
| Denmark | 670,000 |
| Estonia | 285,000 |
| Finland | 965,000 |
| France | 15.1 million |
| Germany | 15.7 million |
| Greece | 600,000 |
| Hungary | 2.38 million |
| Ireland | 325,000 |
| Italy | 10.1 million |
| Latvia | 400,000 |
| Lithuania | 600,000 |
| Netherlands | 3 million |
| Poland | 6.8 million |
| Portugal | 1.5 million |
| Romania | 4.32 million |
| Slovakia | 550,000 |
| Slovenia | 450,000 |
| Spain | 3.8 million |
| Sweden | 1.48 million |
| United Kingdom | 12 million |
| Russia | 22.95 million |
| Total | >108.8 million |
Asia
In Asia, China has the most number of cats. And it placed 2nd around the world.
| Country | Cat population (stray/pet) |
| China | 58 million cats |
| Cyprus | 1.5 million |
| Hong Kong | 99,200 |
| India | 2.5 million |
| Israel | 1 million |
| Japan | 9 million |
| South Korea | 2.25 million |
| Malaysia | 5 million |
| Palestine | 300,000 |
| Philippines | <12 million |
| Qatar | 3 million |
| Singapore | 50,000 |
| Thailand | 3.3 million |
| Turkey | 4.4 million |
| Total | >102.4 million |
Australia
Luckily, I found some studies here for both pet and stray cats.
First, a report shows that more than 3.8 million felines are in Australian households.
Meanwhile, experts say that around 2.1 to 6.3 million cats there are homeless. And they cause harm to the native animals in the region.
Now, if we add those data…
There could be more than 10.1 million cats today in Australia.
Africa
Based on a study, there are 970,000 pet cats in South Africa.
So if you include strays and other house felines in other parts of the region…
There are more than a million cats in the whole of Africa.
What is the most popular pet in the world?
The most popular pets in the world are dogs. They’re leading in the recent 2022 surveys in the US, Asia, the UK, Australia, and Africa.
United States
The survey mentioned above shows dogs are the top pets in the US.
According to it, 69 million households have at least 1 dog. While 45.3 million have cats and 11.8 million own fish.
South America
This year, there are an estimated 187 million pets in South America.
And in the past 2 consecutive years, Brazil had the most pet dogs in the region.
In 2018, Brazil had 52.2 million Fidos. And in 2019, the country had around 55 million pet dogs.
Let’s use these old data to have a rough number of Fidos in Brazil this 2022.
From 2018 to 2019, there was an increase of 2.8 million dogs.
So if you assume that it’s the regular trend every year…
Here’s what the pet dog population may look like in the following years:
- 2020 – 57.8 million.
- 2021 – 60.6 million.
- 2022 – 63.4 million.
Europe
According to a 2020 survey, cats were the most popular pets in Europe.
They have a population of over 110 million. Meanwhile, pet dogs ranked 2nd with 89 million.
But in a 2022 survey in the UK, Fidos topped the list of popular pets.
Based on it, there are around 13 million pet dogs in the United Kingdom. In contrast, cats have a population of 12 million.
Also, 2020 statistics say that Germany is the country in Europe with the most pet dogs.
There were more than 10 million Fidos. And since the study was 2 years ago, there could be more pet dogs today in Germany.
So dogs are the most popular pets in the UK and Germany.
Asia
Dogs are also the most popular pets in the Orient. And they’re followed by cats and fishes.
A survey shows that 9 countries in Asia have more dogs as pets than other animals. And they’re the following:
| Country | Pet dog population (%) |
| Philippines | 67% |
| Vietnam | 53% |
| Thailand | 47% |
| India | 34% |
| China | 31% |
| Taiwan | 25% |
| South Korea | 22% |
| Singapore | 17% |
| Japan | 11% (tie with cats) |
Meanwhile, in Indonesia and Malaysia, pet cats had the highest population.
Also, some countries have more households not raising any pets, such as:
- Japan – 72%.
- Singapore – 64%.
- Hong Kong – 61%.
- South Korea – 66%.
Australia
As reported by a recent poll, most households in Australia prefer dogs as pets.
57% of them were already fur parents. But according to the survey, they would like to have another Fido.
While 35% of the households don’t have any pets yet. However, if given a chance, they’d like a dog too.
Now, let’s talk about numbers.
In the statistics of pet dogs earlier…
There will be around 7.5 million Fidos in Australia by 2023. And dogs still rank first in the most popular pet choice.
Africa
Lastly, as of writing, there’s no recent survey yet about pet ownership in Africa.
But, I found a related 2022 study in Namibia.
It’s about the number of pets brought to a mobile clinic for desexing.
And 84% of the animals presented were dogs – with a record of 2,909 Fidos. While only 15.6% or 539 were cats.