Cat Population by Country 2026

Cats are one of the world's most beloved pets, but their population varies dramatically by country. This analysis presents cat ownership data across 120+ countries, revealing which nations are truly cat lovers and why.

What This Data Measures

This dataset tracks owned, domesticated cats only – the pets living in households. It excludes stray, feral, and community cats, ensuring we're measuring actual pet ownership rather than total cat populations. The 2026 figures are projected using demographic models that correlate household penetration rates with UN population data.

Cat Population by Country 2026

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#	Country	Total Cat Population
1	China CN	91,203,440
2	United States US	82,459,012
3	Russia RU	53,120,890
4	Brazil BR	39,405,112
5	Mexico MX	18,102,450
6	Germany DE	16,890,234
7	France FR	15,420,110
8	Vietnam VN	15,203,400
9	United Kingdom GB	13,560,780
10	Italy IT	10,780,220
11	Canada CA	9,820,560
12	Philippines PH	9,650,300
13	Japan JP	8,750,140
14	Poland PL	7,920,150
15	Argentina AR	7,120,560
16	Ukraine UA	7,050,890
17	Spain ES	6,450,230
18	Indonesia ID	6,340,780
19	Australia AU	5,890,120
20	Türkiye TR	5,182,440
21	Romania RO	4,670,230
22	Colombia CO	4,350,890
23	Thailand TH	4,020,150
24	India IN	3,890,230
25	Netherlands NL	3,560,780
26	South Korea KR	3,010,450
27	Belgium BE	2,910,340
28	Chile CL	2,850,670
29	South Africa ZA	2,840,560
30	Hungary HU	2,560,120
31	Austria AT	2,280,450
32	Malaysia MY	2,240,780
33	Portugal PT	2,150,890
34	Belarus BY	1,980,450
35	Switzerland CH	1,980,230
36	Egypt EG	1,920,340
37	Sweden SE	1,890,560
38	Czech Republic CZ	1,620,780
39	Peru PE	1,580,450
40	New Zealand NZ	1,350,230
41	Israel IL	1,280,560
42	Venezuela VE	1,250,890
43	Finland FI	1,190,560
44	Taiwan TW	1,180,230
45	Morocco MA	1,050,780
46	Bulgaria BG	940,560
47	Saudi Arabia SA	920,340
48	Norway NO	890,230
49	Denmark DK	760,450
50	Greece GR	710,890
51	Lithuania LT	680,560
52	Slovakia SK	630,120
53	Latvia LV	510,560
54	Serbia RS	470,890
55	Croatia HR	460,230
56	Ireland IE	450,780
57	Kazakhstan KZ	440,230
58	Pakistan PK	420,560
59	Slovenia SI	410,890
60	Algeria DZ	400,890
61	Hong Kong HK	395,120
62	Estonia EE	340,230
63	Sudan SD	328,450
64	Cuba CU	198,230
65	Cyprus CY	195,670
66	Nigeria NG	168,450
67	Afghanistan AF	165,780
68	Bosnia and Herzegovina BA	165,430
69	Syria SY	165,430
70	Uruguay UY	158,210
71	Lebanon LB	150,230
72	Ecuador EC	145,890
73	Singapore SG	140,560
74	Tunisia TN	135,780
75	Uzbekistan UZ	135,780
76	Yemen YE	134,560
77	Libya LY	132,780
78	Moldova MD	125,890
79	United Arab Emirates AE	125,670
80	Costa Rica CR	125,670
81	Azerbaijan AZ	125,670
82	Iraq IQ	105,430
83	Kenya KE	105,230
84	Georgia GE	98,340
85	Guatemala GT	98,230
86	Bolivia BO	94,560
87	Dominican Republic DO	88,120
88	Albania AL	83,670
89	North Macedonia MK	73,450
90	Jordan JO	73,210
91	Luxembourg LU	72,340
92	Paraguay PY	69,340
93	Bangladesh BD	68,920
94	Myanmar MM	62,780
95	Kuwait KW	52,890
96	Cambodia KH	52,340
97	Ghana GH	52,340
98	Armenia AM	52,120
99	Panama PA	42,560
100	Qatar QA	42,340
101	Kyrgyzstan KG	38,230
102	Malta MT	38,120
103	Honduras HN	34,560
104	Oman OM	32,560
105	Sri Lanka LK	32,560
106	El Salvador SV	32,120
107	Montenegro ME	32,120
108	Iceland IS	29,450
109	Nicaragua NI	26,780
110	Madagascar MG	23,560
111	Bahrain BH	21,450
112	Jamaica JM	21,450
113	Tanzania TZ	21,450
114	Senegal SN	19,560
115	Mongolia MN	19,450
116	Mauritius MU	19,340
117	Trinidad and Tobago TT	19,230
118	Ivory Coast CI	16,230
119	Fiji FJ	14,560
120	Namibia NA	13,670
121	Zambia ZM	9,870
122	Botswana BW	9,450
123	Angola AO	8,540
124	Mozambique MZ	7,320

Key Findings

Russia leads globally with 53.1 million owned cats, followed by China (91.2 million) and the United States (82.5 million). However, when measured per capita, the picture changes dramatically. New Zealand tops the list at 0.258 cats per person, followed by Latvia (0.281) and Hungary (0.273).

Top countries by total cat population:

• China: 91.2 million cats
• United States: 82.5 million cats
• Russia: 53.1 million cats
• Brazil: 39.4 million cats
• France: 15.4 million cats

Top countries by cats per capita:

• Latvia: 0.281 cats per person
• Hungary: 0.273 cats per person
• New Zealand: 0.258 cats per person
• Austria: 0.250 cats per person
• Canada: 0.246 cats per person

Europe's Cat Obsession

European countries dominate the per-capita rankings. Latvia, Hungary, Austria, and Belgium all have more than one cat for every four people. This reflects European culture's strong pet ownership tradition, higher disposable incomes, and animal welfare standards. Countries like Germany (0.201), France (0.234), and the UK (0.197) also rank high, showing that cat ownership is deeply embedded in European lifestyle.

Asia's Paradox

Asia presents an interesting contradiction. China and Vietnam have massive total cat populations due to their enormous populations, but per-capita ownership is extremely low. China (0.064 cats per person) and India (0.003 cats per person) show that despite billions of people, cat ownership remains uncommon. Japan (0.071) and South Korea (0.058) have higher rates due to urbanization and pet culture, but still lag far behind Western nations. This reflects cultural differences – in many Asian countries, cats are viewed differently than in the West, and pet ownership is less common overall.

The Americas: Mixed Patterns

North America shows strong cat ownership. The United States (0.239 per capita) and Canada (0.246) rank among the world's top cat-owning nations. However, Latin America tells a different story. Brazil has 39.4 million cats (the fourth-largest total), but only 0.178 per capita. Mexico (0.134), Argentina (0.151), and Chile (0.143) show moderate ownership rates, while countries like Peru (0.045) and Venezuela (0.041) have very low rates.

Africa and Middle East: Low Ownership

Cat ownership remains minimal across most of Africa and the Middle East. India (0.003), Nigeria (0.0007), and Egypt (0.016) show extremely low per-capita rates. This reflects economic factors, cultural attitudes toward pets, and the prevalence of stray cat populations that aren't captured in this "owned pet" data. Saudi Arabia (0.024), UAE (0.012), and other Gulf states show slightly higher rates due to wealth and Western influence, but still lag far behind developed nations.

Why These Differences Exist

Economic Factors: Cat ownership requires disposable income for food, veterinary care, and supplies. Wealthier nations naturally have higher ownership rates.

Cultural Attitudes: Western cultures view cats as family members and companions. In many other cultures, cats are seen as working animals (pest control) or are less valued as pets.

Housing: Apartment living in developed nations makes cats ideal pets. Cats adapt well to smaller spaces, unlike dogs.

Animal Welfare Standards: Countries with strong animal protection laws encourage responsible pet ownership and registration.

Urbanization: Urban populations are more likely to own cats than rural populations.

Data Methodology

Calculation Model: Total cat population is derived from a demographic projection model that correlates UN population data with household penetration rates and cat density factors:

P_cat = (Total Population / Household Size) × Penetration Rate × Cat Density

Per Capita Rate: Calculated by dividing total cat population by 2026 projected human population.

Margin of Error: ±2.5% for developed markets, ±5% for emerging markets.

Important Limitations

Stray Populations Not Included: Countries like Turkey, Brazil, and Southeast Asia have massive stray cat populations that aren't counted here. The actual total cat population in these regions is much higher.

Registration Gaps: Many developing countries lack comprehensive pet registration systems, so actual ownership may be higher or lower than reported.

Cultural Definitions: What counts as an "owned" cat varies by country. Some nations include semi-feral community cats; others don't.

Cat Population by Country 2026

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#	Country	Total Cat Population	Cats Per Capita
1	China	91,203,440	0.06
2	United States	82,459,012	0.24
3	Russia	53,120,890	0.37
4	Brazil	39,405,112	0.18
5	Mexico	18,102,450	0.13
6	Germany	16,890,234	0.2
7	France	15,420,110	0.23
8	Vietnam	15,203,400	0.15
9	United Kingdom	13,560,780	0.2
10	Italy	10,780,220	0.18
11	Canada	9,820,560	0.25
12	Philippines	9,650,300	0.08
13	Japan	8,750,140	0.07
14	Poland	7,920,150	0.21
15	Argentina	7,120,560	0.15
16	Ukraine	7,050,890	0.2
17	Spain	6,450,230	0.14
18	Indonesia	6,340,780	0.02
19	Australia	5,890,120	0.22
20	Türkiye	5,182,440	0.06
21	Romania	4,670,230	0.24
22	Colombia	4,350,890	0.08
23	Thailand	4,020,150	0.06
24	India	3,890,230	0
25	Netherlands	3,560,780	0.2
26	South Korea	3,010,450	0.06
27	Belgium	2,910,340	0.25
28	Chile	2,850,670	0.14
29	South Africa	2,840,560	0.05
30	Hungary	2,560,120	0.27
31	Austria	2,280,450	0.25
32	Malaysia	2,240,780	0.06
33	Portugal	2,150,890	0.21
34	Belarus	1,980,450	0.21
35	Switzerland	1,980,230	0.22
36	Egypt	1,920,340	0.02
37	Sweden	1,890,560	0.18
38	Czech Republic	1,620,780	0.15
39	Peru	1,580,450	0.05
40	New Zealand	1,350,230	0.26
41	Israel	1,280,560	0.13
42	Venezuela	1,250,890	0.04
43	Finland	1,190,560	0.21
44	Taiwan	1,180,230	0.05
45	Morocco	1,050,780	0.03
46	Bulgaria	940,560	0.14
47	Saudi Arabia	920,340	0.02
48	Norway	890,230	0.16
49	Denmark	760,450	0.13
50	Greece	710,890	0.07
51	Lithuania	680,560	0.26
52	Slovakia	630,120	0.12
53	Latvia	510,560	0.28
54	Serbia	470,890	0.07
55	Croatia	460,230	0.12
56	Ireland	450,780	0.09
57	Kazakhstan	440,230	0.02
58	Pakistan	420,560	0
59	Slovenia	410,890	0.2
60	Algeria	400,890	0.01
61	Hong Kong	395,120	0.05
62	Estonia	340,230	0.26
63	Sudan	328,450	0.01
64	Cuba	198,230	0.02
65	Cyprus	195,670	0.16
66	Nigeria	168,450	0
67	Afghanistan	165,780	0
68	Bosnia and Herzegovina	165,430	0.05
69	Syria	165,430	0.01
70	Uruguay	158,210	0.05
71	Lebanon	150,230	0.03
72	Ecuador	145,890	0.01
73	Singapore	140,560	0.02
74	Tunisia	135,780	0.01
75	Uzbekistan	135,780	0
76	Yemen	134,560	0
77	Libya	132,780	0.02
78	Moldova	125,890	0.04
79	United Arab Emirates	125,670	0.01
80	Costa Rica	125,670	0.02
81	Azerbaijan	125,670	0.01
82	Iraq	105,430	0
83	Kenya	105,230	0
84	Georgia	98,340	0.03
85	Guatemala	98,230	0.01
86	Bolivia	94,560	0.01
87	Dominican Republic	88,120	0.01
88	Albania	83,670	0.03
89	North Macedonia	73,450	0.04
90	Jordan	73,210	0.01
91	Luxembourg	72,340	0.11
92	Paraguay	69,340	0.01
93	Bangladesh	68,920	0
94	Myanmar	62,780	0
95	Kuwait	52,890	0.01
96	Cambodia	52,340	0
97	Ghana	52,340	0
98	Armenia	52,120	0.02
99	Panama	42,560	0.01
100	Qatar	42,340	0.01
101	Kyrgyzstan	38,230	0.01
102	Malta	38,120	0.09
103	Honduras	34,560	0
104	Oman	32,560	0.01
105	Sri Lanka	32,560	0
106	El Salvador	32,120	0.01
107	Montenegro	32,120	0.05
108	Iceland	29,450	0.08
109	Nicaragua	26,780	0
110	Madagascar	23,560	0
111	Bahrain	21,450	0.01
112	Jamaica	21,450	0.01
113	Tanzania	21,450	0
114	Senegal	19,560	0
115	Mongolia	19,450	0.01
116	Mauritius	19,340	0.02
117	Trinidad and Tobago	19,230	0.01
118	Ivory Coast	16,230	0
119	Fiji	14,560	0.02
120	Namibia	13,670	0.01
121	Zambia	9,870	0
122	Botswana	9,450	0
123	Angola	8,540	0
124	Mozambique	7,320	0