Family Encyclopedia >> Animals & Insects

More than half of the Dutch have a pet

54% of the Dutch have a pet. A cat (26%) or dog (25%) are the most common pets. In third place is a fish (11%), followed by a bird (7%) or else (8%). More women than men have a dog or cat. Countries with the most pets are Argentina and Mexico (80%). South Korea has the fewest pets (31%). This is apparent from a survey by GfK among 27,000 respondents from 22 countries.

In the Netherlands, more women than men have a dog (27% vs 23%) or cat (28% vs 23%). A fish is a more beloved pet by men (13% vs 9%). The bird is almost equally common in men and women (6% male vs 7% female). More women than men have another pet (11% vs 6%).

Globally, more than half of the population owns at least 1 pet. The dog is the most common pet (33%) followed by a cat (23%) and fish (12%). In Russia, France and the US, the cat is the most popular pet. In Argentina, Brazil and Mexico, the dog is the most favored. The fish is in first place in China and in Turkey the majority have a bird as a pet. In South America, most pet owners are, in both Argentina and Mexico, 80% of the population has a pet. Brazil follows with 75%. The Asian countries have the fewest pet owners. South Korea is at the bottom with 31%, followed by Hong Kong (35%) and Japan (37%).