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How many households in China have a dog as a pet? (Please break out small vs. large dogs). How much do these households spend on their dogs, what do they buy and what areas do they splurge on?
Hello! Thank you for your question regarding the number of households in China with a pet dog. The short answer is that there are 27,400,000 pet dogs in China, and the number of people getting a pet dog is increasing despite increasingly strict ownership laws throughout the country. The most helpful sources I identified while researching this request were Pet Secure, Guardian, and Forbes. You will see a deep dive of my findings below.
OWNERSHIP
Over recent years, the number of Chinese families opting to get a pet dog has increased exponentially. In fact, in Beijing alone the number of families with a pet dog in 2012 (more than one million) was 10 times that of the number of families with a pet dog in 1992. This increase in dog ownership has been met with stricter ownership laws though. For example, several areas restrict ownership to one dog per family and/or to small dogs only. Other areas have opted to ban dog ownership altogether, and throughout all of China, dog owners are met with an annual registration fee.
In total, there are 27,400,000 pet dogs throughout China, giving China the third largest population of pet dogs in the world (behind the US and Brazil). This is partially due to the one-child-per-family law, leaving many parents to buy a dog as their child's companion; or for themselves once their child grows up and leaves home. Broken down to the number of people in China who own a dog, 25 percent of homes in the country have at least one dog.
Specific data on the number of small dogs versus large dogs owned as pets in China was not available. However, because many districts throughout the country restrict ownership to only small dogs, the vast majority of dogs throughout the country can be classified as "small."
SPENDING
In China, dog ownership is largely a status symbol due primarily to the amount of money people dedicate to their dogs. In addition, dog ownership is prohibited in the majority of low-income areas.
In addition to the cost of food, dog owners throughout China also spend a large portion of their income on acupuncture, dog clothing, spa days, dog bakeries, and other luxuries designed specifically for dogs. In total, China spends approximately $1.5 billion on the pet care market, a number which is expected to reach $2.6 billion by 2019. In addition, China has the largest pet food market in Asia Pacific, with an estimated worth of more than $50 billion.
SUMMARY
To summarize, 25 percent of Chinese households own at least one dog, with others owning several. In total, there are 27,400,000 pet dogs throughout the country, despite increasingly strict laws restricting dog ownership in districts throughout China.
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