The ranking of the most popular pets by country around the world for 2026, published on 18 September 2026 on World Population Review, shows: dogs remain the favourites in 22 countries, cats — in 14. The data are based on the share of households owning animals and cover dozens of states from Asia to Europe and Latin America.
Dogs lead in India, Brazil, Mexico, Japan, the Philippines, Turkey, Thailand, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Spain, Argentina, Poland, Australia, Chile, Romania, Czechia, Hungary, Denmark, Finland, Ireland and Estonia. In Argentina the share of households with pets reaches 80 %, in the Philippines — 79 %, in Thailand — 71 %. Cats are more popular in China, Indonesia, Russia, Germany, France, Italy, Ukraine, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Portugal, Switzerland, Norway and Latvia. In Indonesia cats are found in 67 % of households, in Belgium — in 33 %.
Globally, dogs remain the most widespread pet: roughly a third of all households in the world keep at least one dog. Cats are present in approximately a quarter of homes. Many families keep both — the animals coexist peacefully.
In the United States there are about 70 million dogs, in China — more than 27 million households with dogs, although cats are more popular there. In Japan about 12 million households have dogs, often of small breeds that are convenient to take along. In Russia cats outstrip dogs in popularity.
Besides dogs and cats, people keep fish, rabbits, reptiles and birds, but they do not make the top of the ranking by country. The ranking reflects cultural preferences: in some countries dogs are valued for loyalty and guarding, in others cats — for independence and low upkeep costs.
The data emphasise that the choice of a pet depends not only on personal preferences but also on traditions, climate and lifestyle in each country.
