30% Have "Pets"... Average Monthly Pet Care Cost 140,000 Won

KB Financial Group Management Research Institute '2021 Korea Companion Animal Report'

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Sun-mi] Thirty percent of all households in South Korea have pets, and the average monthly expenditure on pet care was recorded at 140,000 KRW.

According to the '2021 Korea Pet Report' analyzed by KB Financial Group Management Research Institute on the status of pets, pet household care behaviors and consumption expenditure details, and elderly dog life management, there are 6.04 million pet-owning households in Korea, accounting for 29.7% of all households. The number of pet owners reached 14.48 million, approaching the era of '15 million pet owners.'

Among them, households raising dogs and cats accounted for 80.7% and 25.7%, respectively. As of the end of 2019, 2.092 million dogs were registered under the animal registration system nationwide, with 55.3% concentrated in Seoul and the metropolitan area.

Pet-owning households spent an average of 140,000 KRW monthly on fixed pet-related care costs, excluding health management or treatment expenses for injuries and illnesses. This amount increased by about 20,000 KRW compared to the average monthly expenditure of 120,000 KRW in 2018.

Average monthly expenditure of 140,000 KRW... 110,000 KRW for dogs, 70,000 KRW for cats

Looking at pet-related care expenses by pet type, households raising only dogs spent about 130,000 KRW monthly, those raising only cats spent about 100,000 KRW monthly, and households raising both dogs and cats spent about 250,000 KRW monthly. When estimating the care cost per pet, households raising dogs spent about 110,000 KRW per dog per month. On the other hand, households raising only cats spent about 70,000 KRW per cat per month.

Meanwhile, 75.3% of pets were left alone at home without their owners at times, with the average time left alone being 5 hours and 40 minutes per day. The institute analyzed that this was somewhat reduced compared to 84.3% and 6 hours and 3 minutes in 2018, partly due to the expansion of remote work caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Among pet-owning households, 64.1% used pet tech devices, with the most common reason being 'to reduce worries about pets left alone at home during outings.'

The satisfaction level of pet-owning households was generally above average, scoring 5.69 out of 7 points. Households raising cats (5.92 points), single-person households (5.84 points), and couples without children (5.84 points) showed relatively high satisfaction, whereas couples living only with children (5.52 points) showed lower satisfaction compared to other households.

When asked whether they would continue to raise pets in the future, 61.6% of pet owners responded that they intended to continue. In particular, cat-owning households (68.2%) and couples without children (72.1%) showed high willingness to continue pet care. Conversely, couples with children (53.8%) showed the lowest willingness, mostly consisting of couples aged 60 or older living alone after their children had grown up and moved out.