The UK has 4 million more dogs than previously estimated, new research shows.
How many dogs are there in the UK?
A study led by Dogs Trust in collaboration with the Universities of Leeds and Exeter found that the UK is actually home to around 13 million dogs, much higher than previously thought.
The research gathered 2019 data from the Kennel Club’s breed registry, vet organisations, pet insurance companies, animal welfare charities and the Small Animal Veterinary Surveillance Network at the University of Liverpool to reach a more accurate number than was previously available.
Telford in Shropshire was revealed as the area with the highest concentration of dogs, with 8.2 dogs per 20 people. Darlington followed, with Harrogate coming in third. The lowest densities of dogs were reported for areas of London, with approximately one dog for every 20 people.
“The UK is well known for being a nation of dog lovers, but it turns out we may have significantly underestimated how many dogs are out there by over four million!” says Dr Kirsten McMillan, deputy head of research at Dogs Trust. “This inaccuracy can have serious implications as it affects important statistics like how many dogs of different breeds or sizes live in certain regions, how the dog population grows each year, and the overall trends in dog ownership.”
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How many dogs are there in the world?
The World Population Review found there to be between 700 million and 1 billion dogs in the word. It estimates that 30% of households globally have a dog.
The US was found to be the country with the most dogs, with 25,916 dogs per 100k people. It was followed by Brazil, China, Japan and Russia. The UK came in sixth place.
- US: 90 million dogs
- Brazil: 55 million dogs
- China: 54.3 million dogs
- Japan: 20 million dogs
- Russia: 17.6 million dogs
In the UK, the most popular dog breed is said to be the Labrador retriever, based on Kennel Club registrations.
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Top image credit: Getty Images