Many trends have emerged in our pet population statistics, an insight into the pet purchasing trends in the UK are outlined below;
There are 27 million pets in the UK with dogs and cats being the animal of choice for pet lovers with over 7.3 and 7.2 million across the UK respectively. (For the UK’s Top Ten Pets click here)
60% of single people in the UK buy a pet for companionship – 39% of whom have replaced their partner with a pet
21% of owners bought their pet for companionship, compared to only 5% who have their pet for security
39% of London’s pet owners purchase their pet for companionship, despite having 7.5 million neighbours across the city.
To view the reasons for the choice
of pet please select the chart
21% of pet owners have wanted a pet since childhood, and almost of half of people living in the North East have wanted a pet since their early years
The East Midlands has the most pet lovers, with 14% of the pet population living in the heart of the UK, compared to only 4% of the population residing in Wales.
To view regional pet population
statistics please select the chart
Over a quarter (27%) of the UK’s pets were bought or acquired from an animal welfare or rescue centre compared to 20% from a pet shop
To view where pets are aquired
from please select the chart
Last Updated ( Thursday, 16 October 2008 )
Did you know
Cat ownership is higher in the south although they are generally well represented across most demographics. To view the top 5 cats in the UK click here.
