About three in 10 households in Korea have pets, mostly dogs

hanbokDogs strut down the runway wearing hanbok, or Korean traditional attire, at the puppy hanbok fashion show held in Seoul on Sept. 28, 2025. [YONHAP]

 

Nearly 3 out of 10 households in Korea have pets, mostly dogs, government data showed Tuesday.

 

A survey by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs showed that 29.2 percent of households were keeping pets at home in 2025.

 


 

Of these households, 80.5 percent had dogs, while 14.4 percent had cats and 4.1 percent fish.

 

Pet owners spent an average of 121,000 won ($84) per month on their pets.

 

The survey marked Korea’s first nationally-approved statistical survey on pet ownership.

 

In a separate survey on animal welfare, also conducted by the agriculture ministry, a little less than half of respondents said pet owners appear to be properly complying with pet-related requirements, such as using leashes and identification tags.

 

However, there was a wide perception gap depending on if respondents had pets: A full 86.9 percent of those who own pets said they complied with the rules, while only 39.9 percent of non-pet owners felt that pet owners were doing so.

 

Regarding the penalty for animal abuse, 93.2 percent of respondents agreed that there should be stronger punishment for those who abuse animals, including bans on animal ownership.

Yonhap