As the number of registered companion dogs and cats in the country has surpassed 3.49 million, the number of people working in related industries has increased by nearly 15% in the past year.
The Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency announced on the 27th the results of the '2024 Pet Protection and Welfare Survey,' stating that the number of registered pets as of last year was 3.492 million, a 6.3% increase from the previous year (3.286 million).
The total number of newly registered pets last year was 260,000, a 4.2% decrease from the previous year. Among these, there were 245,000 companion dogs and 15,000 companion cats. Companion dogs must be registered if they are over 2 months old and reside in dwellings, while the registration for companion cats is currently being conducted as a nationwide pilot project. The number of registered cats was 11,000 in 2022, 13,000 in 2023, and 15,000 in 2024, continuing a three-year upward trend.
Accordingly, the cumulative number of registered pets has increased to 3.49 million. The number of companion dogs rose to 3.43 million, marking a 5.9% increase, while cats increased to 60,000, a 35.7% rise.
The number of rescued lost or abandoned animals was 107,000, a 5.5% decrease from the previous year, with 12,000 of these returned to their owners. There are 231 animal protection centers nationwide, 75 of which are operated directly by local governments. The expense per animal is 435,000 won, an increase of 31.4%, and the number of personnel at the centers has risen by 1.5% to 999.
A total of 1,293 violations of the Animal Protection Law were detected. The most common issues were lack of leashes and identification tags and failure to clean up excrement, totaling 826 cases (63.9%). Cases of animal abuse, injury, and abandonment numbered 55, a 32% decrease from the previous year. A total of 801 animal protection officers have been designated in local governments.
The pet industry is also rapidly growing in line with the increase in registrations. There are 23,565 pet businesses across eight sectors, including production, import, sales, burial, grooming, management, exhibition, and transportation, marking a 14.5% increase from the previous year. The number of people working in these businesses has increased by 14.9% to 29,305.
By industry, the animal grooming sector had the highest number at 10,172 (43.2%), followed by the management sector with 5,603 (23.8%).