INEI will include pet ownership in their households in their measurements since July

Since the second semester of 2025, the National Institute of Statistics and Informatics (INEI) Will include a module about pet breeding in the National Household Survey (ENAHO), in order to know the conditions in which domestic animals live in the country’s households, as well as those that work as guardianship or grazing.

This information will allow to build key indicators to design public health policies oriented to prevention of communicable diseases between animals and persons, in addition of promoting the responsible pet ownership.

The implementation of this module responds to a concrete demand of authorities, animal protection organizations and citizenship interested in the protection of dogs, cats and other species.

Since 2014, the INEI, in coordination with the Ministry of Health (MINSA) and the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF), is already collecting data about the dog’s ownership in households, essential input for prevention, control and response policies.

In addition, information is collected about family expense in feeding and veterinarian attention.

According to the National Survey of Budgetary Programs (ENAPRES) 2024, 51.7% of the households have at least a dog. By socio-economic strata, in the households of lower incomes this proportion reaches 52.9%, against the 43.7% in those of greater incomes. In the rural area, the breeding of dogs reaches 64.4% of the households.

Among those that declared having dogs, the average of animals per household is of 1.8. In the strata of greater incomes is of 1.5 dogs, while in that of lower incomes remains in 1.8. In the rural are, the average is of 2.0.

Most homes (74.8%) had vaccinated against rabies all their pets in the last 12 months, a key action to prevent diseases.

According to the ENAHO between 2023 and 2024, the spending in foods for pets grew by 16.0%, by going from 42.4% to 54.9% of the households. By socio-economic level, the households of high strata increased this spending in 23.7% and in those of medium strata increased this spending by 14.1%.