Can you believe it? Belgians keep pets so crazy that even their own children are jealous!

While we're still struggling to pay the rent, Belgians are spending $100 million a day on their kids! I've just finished crunching the latest numbers and the hairs on my back stand on end - a country with less than two-thirds of Beijing's population hides a pet economic empire that makes the world's pooper shivers!

Latest data exposure
High rate of pet ownership

Out of every 10 Belgian families, nearly 6 are "sucking cats and dogs", which directly makes the European neighbors break the collective defense! In 2023, nearly 60% of households in Belgium have pets, an increase of 3% compared to 2022 and 8% compared to 2021.

Reference source: The Pet Industry in Belgium

Cats and dogs

In 2024, cat owners edged out dogs by just 1% to become the most popular pet in Belgium! But the dog party is still a force to be reckoned with, with dog ownership up 6% since 2021. Flanders alone has more than 1.3 million registered dogs and 517,000 cats, which equates to dozens of dogs and cats per square kilometer!

Variety of pets

In addition to cats and dogs, Belgians' preference for smaller pets (especially fish) has also decreased, perhaps because they prefer larger, more interactive companions such as dogs and cats. However, small breeds such as Chihuahuas, Maltese and shih Tzu remain popular in Belgium.