Adapted from a press release.
According to a recent report by the Central Association of Zoological Specialist Companies (ZZF), a German pet trade and industry association, Germans love life with animal companions. In 2023, 34.3 million pet dogs, cats, small animals and birds lived in German homes. There were also numerous animals in terrariums and ornamental fish in aquariums and garden ponds.
According to the report, overall, 45%, almost half of all households, have at least one pet. These results came from a representative survey that market research institute Skopos carried out for the Pet Supplies Industry Association (IVH) eV and ZZF in 5,000 households.
Cats remain the most popular pet
The cat is still Germany’s number one pet: a total of 15.7 million of them lived in 25% of German households in 2023. In 42% of all households that owned cats there were two or more cats in the house.
Dogs are also popular: of the 10.5 million dogs in 21% of households, 43% are mixed breeds. Five percent of households lived with 4.6 million small animals, such as rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters and rats.
The number of ornamental birds, such as parakeets, canaries and small parrots, was 3.5 million in 3% of households in 2023. In the same period, there were 2.2 million aquariums in 4% and 1.3 million ponds. garden with ornamental fish by 3%. of households and 1.2 million terrariums in 2% of households.
“Dogs, cats and the like can enormously enrich the lives of ‘their’ people,” said Norbert Holthenrich, president of the ZZF. “The prerequisite is that they feel comfortable and are taken care of according to their needs. We are even more pleased that the total number of pets kept in households in Germany has remained stable at a high level in recent years.”
Pets are particularly popular among families with children
In 2023, 67% of all families with children had an animal living with them. Furthermore, pets can also be found in many single households: 33% of all singles had a pet in 2023. Furthermore, according to research carried out by market researchers, in 2023 at least two species of pet were maintained in 14% of all families.
Many pets live in multi-person households
According to the report, the majority of pets in Germany live in multi-person households. The proportion of households with two people is 35%, the proportion of households with three or more people is 36%. Additionally, 29% of pet owners live in single-person households.
Age of pet owners almost unchanged
The age structure of pet owners has barely changed in recent years. In 2023, many animal lovers were still middle-aged: 19% were between the ages of 30 and 39, 18% were in the 40-49 age range, and 22% were in the 50-59 age range. The proportion of pet owners up to 29 years old was 16%. At 25%, pet owners over 60 continued to be the largest group.
Feed and supply sales increasing
The German pet industry continued to develop positively in 2023 despite a generally tense economic situation. With total sales of €5.616 billion (US$6.05 billion) in 2023, specialty stationery and food retailers recorded an increase in sales of 9.5% year-on-year.
Ready-to-eat food sales totaled 4.495 billion euros ($4.484 billion). Supplies and accessories have arrived €1.121 billion (US$1.2 billion). To this were added 1.316 billion euros (1.42 billion dollars) from online commerce and 161 million euros (174 million dollars) for food for wild birds. The total turnover of the German pet industry in 2023 was around 7.1 billion euros ($7.54 billion).
In the pet food sector, sales increased in almost all pet segments. “The reasons for this can certainly be partly attributed to increased demand,” said IVH President Georg Müller. “The increase in sales mainly reflects the increase in companies’ costs for energy, raw materials, packaging and transportation.”
Overall, the pet market held up very well in 2023, Müller and Holthenrich conclude from the economic data – despite difficult economic conditions with high energy prices and significant inflation.
