"Waiting Only for Their Owners"... Pets Left Alone for Six Hours a Day

15.46 Million People Own Pets, Making Up 30% of the Total Population
80% of Pet Owners Leave Their Pets Alone at Home for Part of the Day

With approximately 30% of the population in South Korea owning pets, a recent survey found that these pets are left alone at home for nearly six hours a day on average. In addition, both the cost of raising pets and veterinary expenses are steadily increasing each year.

On June 29, the KB Financial Group Management Research Institute released statistics on households with pets in Korea through its "2025 Korea Pet Report."

According to the report, as of the end of 2024, there were 5.91 million households with pets, an increase of 60,000 households (1.1%) compared to 2023. This accounts for 26.7% of all households. The number of individuals owning pets reached 15.46 million, representing 29.9% of the total population.

The most commonly kept pet was the dog, with 4.55 million households owning one. Households with cats numbered 1.37 million. Compared to the previous year, these figures increased by 40,000 and 20,000 households, respectively.

The survey found that 80.1% of all pet-owning households reported leaving their pets alone at home for a certain period each day. On average, pets were left alone for 5 hours and 54 minutes per day.

The average monthly cost of raising a pet was 194,000 won, up 40,000 won (26%) from the previous year's 154,000 won. Of this amount, food expenses accounted for the largest share at 35.1%, followed by snacks and health supplements (22.5%), daily necessities (10.6%), and grooming expenses (8.7%). Households with dogs spent 161,000 won per month, while those with cats spent 142,000 won.

In the past two years, 70.2% of households reported having incurred veterinary expenses. The average veterinary cost for these households was 1,027,000 won, nearly double the previous year's 577,000 won.

The proportion of pet owners with pet insurance remained low at 12.8%. The most frequently cited prerequisite for popularizing pet insurance was the "introduction of standardized veterinary fees" (46.1%).

The main difficulties cited in raising pets included difficulties when traveling (39.1%), financial burden (34.1%), and managing excrement and fur (33.9%).

Nevertheless, 76% of respondents said they were satisfied with life with their pets, and 74.2% stated they would continue to own pets in the future. In contrast, only 49.4% said they would recommend pet ownership to others.

The most popular dog breeds were Maltese (20.4%) and Poodle (18.9%), while among cats, Korean Shorthair (44.7%), Russian Blue (12.8%), and Persian (9.6%) were the most preferred.