The world’s most populous country also has a growing pet population and a pet food market to provide nutrition for those companion animals. In a survey by TGM, 43% of respondents in India said they owned at least one pet, lower than the global average of 55%. Dogs were the most frequently reported companion animals with 63% of pet owners reporting a canine companion. Cats followed at 42% of the pet population. Fish were also popular pets at 19%. India’s pet population demographics differed from the global average in TGM’s survey, which was dogs -58%, cats – 53%, fish – 9%. Another source estimated that dogs made up a yet larger share of India’s pet population. Mordor Intelligence analysts reported that dogs made up 87.7% of India’s pet population in 2022, compared to only 9% for cats. However, the pet cat population has grown rapidly, especially during the pandemic. In 2020, cats were only 0.5% of the pet population in India. The pet cat population grew 88% between 2017 and 2022.
Indian pet food market
Dogs also dominated India’s pet product market. Dogs comprised 92% of the Indian pet product market in 2022, according to analysts with Mordor Intelligence. They estimated that dog food sales in India had a value of US$562.7 million in 2022. Analysts forecast that figure to grow to US$1,760 million in 2029. Overall, the Indian pet product market was forecast to reach US$850 million in 2024. The analysts forecast that the market will reach US$1.87 billion by 2029, with a compound annual growth rate of 17.08% from 2024 to 2029. Dog products were also the fastest-growing segment by species, while pet treats were the fastest-growing segment by product. Pet food made up 74% of the Indian pet food market in 2022. Mars Petcare has a 35% market share in India. Charoen Pokphand Group, Colgate-Palmolive Company, IB Group, and Nestle Purina PetCare also operate in the Indian pet food market. Along with Mars, these companies account for 56% of pet food sales in India.