Globally are dogs or cats favored as pets? No not for dinner stupid?

We don't have sufficient extra food in the house to support another "mouth". I'm not walking anything or anyone. I don't do litter.

October 11, 2026 | The World Population Review

The Great Pet Divide, Country by Country

What our choice of companion says about how we live.

1. The World’s Dog Superpowers

When it comes to sheer numbers, a few countries are home to enormous dog populations.

🇺🇸 The United States leads the world with about 89.7 million dogs, according to World Population Review.

🇧🇷 Brazil comes second with 67.8 million — and the highest rate of dogs per person among the countries listed.

🇨🇳 China follows at 52.6 million, with 🇮🇳 India at 36.9 million.

🇷🇺 Russia (17 million) and 🇬🇧 the United Kingdom (11.7 million) round out the top six.

🐕 The detail that stands out: Brazil has roughly one dog for every three people — a higher ratio than the United States.

2. The Cat Capitals

Cats have their own heavyweight nations.

🇺🇸 The United States is home to about 74.2 million pet cats, the most in the world.

🇷🇺 Russia follows with 23.1 million — more cats than any other country in Europe.

🇩🇪 Germany (15.2 million) and 🇫🇷 France (14.9 million) lead Western Europe.

Per person, the most cat-loving country is 🇲🇪 Montenegro, with 0.32 cats per resident — followed by 🇸🇮 Slovenia at 0.24.

🐈 Notice this: France has more than one cat for every five residents — among the highest ratios of any major country.

3. Europe, the Cat Continent

Across Europe as a whole, cats hold a clear lead.

🇪🇺 Europe is home to about 111 million pet cats, compared with 91 million dogs, according to the European pet food industry’s latest figures.

🐦 Birds (44 million) and aquariums (28 million) come next.

Small mammals account for another 23 million pets, and terrariums 10 million.

That means cats make up the single largest group of pets on the continent.

🏙️ Consider this: Europe has roughly 20 million more cats than dogs — a gap larger than the entire dog population of the United Kingdom.

4. China Switches Sides

China offers one of the most striking shifts in the cat-versus-dog story.

🇨🇳 As recently as 2017, dogs were the more popular pet in China.

🐈 By 2024, the country had about 72 million pet cats, compared with roughly 52 million dogs.

Both populations are still growing — cats by 1.6% and dogs by 2.5% between 2023 and 2024.

📈 Here’s the twist: in less than a decade, China went from a dog country to a cat country.

5. Japan’s Cat Majority

Japan has been firmly in the cat camp for years.

🇯🇵 In 2025, Japanese households kept about 8.85 million cats, compared with 6.82 million dogs, according to the Pet Food Association of Japan.

🐕 Back in 2015, Japan had nearly 8 million dogs — but numbers fell for years before finally stabilizing.

Cats, meanwhile, rose from about 8.3 million in 2015.

In 2025, dog numbers ticked up for the first time in at least a decade, while cats dipped slightly.

🏯 Worth a closer look: Japan now has roughly 2 million more cats than dogs — a gap that has opened up almost entirely in the past decade.

6. America: Still a Dog Nation at Home

In the United States, dogs still win the household count — even if cats are catching up.

🇺🇸 About 68 million American households owned a dog in 2025, according to the American Pet Products Association.

🐈 Around 49 million households owned a cat.

Both grew in recent years: dog households rose by about 2.9 million and cat households by about 2.5 million.

In total, 94 million US households now own at least one pet.

🏡 The takeaway: America has more pet cats than many countries have people — but more of its homes still have a dog.

7. Dog-Leaning vs. Cat-Leaning Nations

Comparing each country’s cat and dog populations reveals which side it truly favors.

🇨🇭 Switzerland has about 3.5 cats for every dog — 1.9 million cats against roughly 544,000 dogs.

🇫🇷 France has nearly twice as many cats as dogs, and 🇩🇪 Germany about 1.4 times as many.

🇪🇸 Spain leans the other way, with 9.3 million dogs to 5.9 million cats.

🇦🇷 Argentina (9.2 million dogs to 3 million cats) and 🇿🇦 South Africa (7.4 million dogs to 2 million cats) are firmly dog countries.

🌎 One last thought: much of Northern and Western Europe leans toward cats, while Argentina, Spain, and South Africa remain firmly dog territory.

The cat-versus-dog divide is shifting. Dogs still dominate much of the Americas, cats lead across Europe — and in China and Japan, the balance has already tipped.