Evolving rapidly

Fediaf, the voice of the European pet food industry, unveiled its Facts & Figures 2025 report in June at the Annual Congress 2025, held in Madrid under the theme “Promoting Trust and Transparency in the Pet Food Sector”. The Congress brought together leading voices from across the industry, regulatory bodies, and the scientific community to address the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of pet food, particularly highlighting the need for science-driven, transparent communication that fosters trust in consumers.

The newly released report presents a comprehensive overview of the European pet population and pet food market, based on the latest available data from 2023. Key Insights show that 299m pets live in European households, the pet food market is worth around 29.3bn euros and saw an annual growth of 9 per cent.

With contributions from 15 national associations and analysis conducted by Soulor Consulting, the report covers 41 European countries, including all EU and EEA members and most Council of Europe states.

“The latest figures confirm that pet ownership continues to thrive across Europe, with almost 50% of households sharing their lives with at least one dog or cat,” stated Rosa Carbonell, President of Fediaf. “At the same time, the pet food sector is evolving rapidly to meet the growing demand for high-quality, innovative, and tailored nutrition. These trends highlight not only the emotional bond between people and their pets but also the pet sector’s increasing role in the European economy.”

Fediaf’s Facts & Figures are highly regarded throughout Europe and frequently referenced by authorities, stakeholders, and the media. As per tradition, the association has liaised with all 15 national members, who have supplied local population figures and market data – where available. 11 countries have been added and Russia has been removed. The report now covers 41 of the 48 Council of Europe member states. Mirroring last year’s methodology, data were gathered from two years prior to publication. Therefore, in 2025, the data are from 2023. Due to changes in the countries included, Fediaf advises against making direct year-on-year comparisons.  

The 299m pets in Europe are divided into 108m cats and 90m dogs, 48m birds, 25m small mammals, 18m aquariums and 11m terrariums. Forty-nine per cent of households have a pet, 25% have a dog and 26% have a cat.

The total market value is estimated at 29.3bn euros – a growth of 9%. The…