South Korea’s pet boom: 3 in 10 households raise animals
Nearly three out of ten households in South Korea were raising pets in 2025, with dogs making up the vast majority, government data showed Tuesday, Yonhap reported.
A survey by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs found that 29.2 percent of households had pets. Of these, 80.5 percent owned dogs, 14.4 percent cats, and 4.1 percent fish. Pet owners spent an average of 121,000 won (US$84) per month on their animals.
The survey marked South Korea’s first nationally approved statistical study on pet ownership.
In a separate survey on animal welfare, also conducted by the ministry, fewer than half of respondents said pet owners were properly complying with requirements such as using leashes and identification tags.
Still, there existed a wide perception gap depending on the respondents' pet ownership, with 86.9 percent of those who own pets saying they comply with the rules, while only 39.9 percent of non-owners gave the same response.
On the issue of animal abuse, 93.2 percent of respondents supported stronger penalties, including bans on future pet ownership for offenders.
