'Dog' Rather Than Cat

Kobaco Survey of 1,000 Pet Owners
More Dog Owners Than Cat Owners
Average Monthly Spending: 164,000 KRW for Dogs, 150,000 KRW for Cats

A dog is drinking water at Yeouido Hangang Park in Seoul. (Unrelated to the article) / Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] It has been revealed that people in Korea prefer dogs the most as companion animals. Especially, women were more likely to choose dogs as their pets. The average monthly expenditure on companion dogs was recorded at 164,000 KRW.

The Korea Broadcast Advertising Corporation announced the results of the October Consumer Behavior Survey on the 14th. The corporation conducts and publishes monthly surveys targeting 1,000 men and women aged 20 to 59 nationwide, selecting industries with marketing issues each month. This time, the survey was conducted among those who are raising companion animals. The corporation carried out this survey as interest in companion animals has grown, with households raising companion animals accounting for 26.4% of all households (about 15 million people) as of last year.

Women Prefer Dogs, Men Prefer Cats

Among the respondents, dogs were the most commonly raised companion animals, accounting for 75% of all respondents. Cats followed at 33%, and fish at 9%.

Those who answered that they raise dogs were numerous regardless of gender. Especially among men and women in their 50s, nearly 80% responded that they raise dogs. However, female respondents showed a high preference for dogs across all age groups. Among those who answered that they raise cats, the proportion of men in their 20s and 30s was high.

Among the caregivers raising companion animals, 90% responded that they consider their current companion animals as family members. Additionally, 72% responded that they became interested in animal rights and animal welfare while raising companion animals, and that the time spent with companion animals increased compared to before due to COVID-19.

Average Monthly Expenditure on Companion Dogs is 164,000 KRW

Caregivers were found to bear considerable expenses for their companion animals. By type of companion animal, the average monthly expenditure for companion dogs was higher than for companion cats. Companion dogs cost 164,000 KRW, while companion cats cost 150,000 KRW on average. The most common expenditure range for both companion dogs and cats was 60,000 to 100,000 KRW, with 7-8% spending over 310,000 KRW.

Among the expenditure items related to companion animals, the largest proportions were for food and snacks. Medical expenses accounted for 63% for companion dogs but only 47% for companion cats. Looking at expenditures by caregiver age group, men in their 20s spent a relatively higher proportion on purchasing content such as companion animal videos, whereas those in their 50s showed a relatively higher proportion of medical expenses and grooming service fees.

Also, 70% of caregivers frequently watched companion animal-related content. By media type, companion animal-related TV programs (79%) were the highest, followed by YouTube (68%) and SNS companion animal content (39%).