Australia Pet Ownership 2025: 31.6 Million Pets in 73% of Households

Dog and cat ownership has climbed for ten straight years running, and the reasons behind that trend have less to do with animals than with how people are choosing to live. Smaller households, more flexible working arrangements, and a generation prioritising companionship over other traditional milestones have all pushed pet-owning rates to their highest recorded levels, with dogs and cats accounting for almost all of the growth.

Dogs remain the most commonly owned companion animal in most countries, typically found in somewhere between 35 and 50 percent of households depending on the region; cats usually sit second. Taken together, the world's companion animal population now runs into the billions, and spending on pet food, veterinary care and accessories has become a genuinely large global industry, worth well over a hundred billion dollars annually.

What Is Actually Driving the Growth

Companionship tops the list of reasons people give for getting a pet, across dog owners and cat owners alike, followed closely by stress relief and mental health support — a motivation that accelerated sharply during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, when pets provided routine and social connection through periods of isolation. There is also a clear generational shift: younger adults, particularly millennials and Gen Z, are more often choosing pets as companions ahead of, or instead of, starting a family. Loosening pet-friendly rental policies in a number of countries has made that choice more practical than it was a decade ago.

What the Growth Means Downstream

More pets in circulation means more demand on veterinary services, more pressure on shelters when things go wrong, and a pet industry that keeps expanding to match. Premium food, prescription diets, supplements and pet insurance are among the fastest-growing categories. On the veterinary side, growth has outpaced capacity in a lot of markets — clinic wait times have lengthened and the cost of care has risen alongside demand.

Preventive Care Has Improved Alongside It

The positive side of this growth is that awareness of responsible ownership has grown with it. Microchipping rates have risen substantially in places that have introduced mandatory or subsidised schemes, and desexing and vaccination rates have climbed as veterinary access has broadened. That matters in very practical terms: microchipped, desexed, vaccinated pets are healthier and dramatically more likely to be reunited with their owners if they go missing.

Housing Is Still the Main Barrier

Despite the overall trend, housing remains the biggest obstacle to pet ownership for a lot of people. Blanket no-pets policies have historically been the default for renters in many countries, though reform is underway in a number of jurisdictions as advocacy groups push for pet-keeping to be treated as a normal expectation of rental housing rather than a favour granted by a landlord. Progress varies a lot by location, but the direction is consistently positive.

What This Means for Your Household

If you already share your home with a pet, this is a reasonable moment to check the basics: are they microchipped and current on vaccinations? Do you have a plan, financial or otherwise, for an unexpected vet bill? Are they being fed appropriately for their age and health status? If you are considering getting a pet, take the time to research the breed or species properly, look seriously at adoption before buying, and be honest with yourself about your lifestyle and budget before you commit. Record pet ownership is worth celebrating — but only alongside a genuine, lifelong commitment to looking after the animal properly.