In recent years, the global pet industry has entered a fast-growth track, evolving into a large-scale sector with diverse formats.
Data from the Pet Nutrition Team at the Feed Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences shows that in 2024, the number of pet dogs and cats in China reached 140 million, and the total size of the pet industry exceeded 300 billion yuan—with pet food accounting for the largest share. By 2024, the market size of dog and cat food reached 90 billion yuan, an 8.3% increase from 2023.
Statistics from the China Feed Industry Association indicate that in 2024, national pet feed (staple food) output reached 1.6 million tons, a 66.7% increase from five years ago, maintaining double-digit growth for many consecutive years. In the first 7 months of 2025, output hit 1.006 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 14.5%.
Experts point out that although China’s pet industry started late, it has developed rapidly, achieving a major transformation from OEM/ODM to independent innovation. Currently, the industry is showing several new trends, such as the branding of pet food, the intelligence of pet supplies, the clustering of industrial development, and the accelerated internationalization of independent brands.
Traditionally, the pet industry is divided into three sectors:
Primary sector: Pet breeding and sales.
Secondary sector: Manufacturing of pet supplies, food, pharmaceuticals, and related equipment.
Tertiary sector: Pet services including diagnosis, treatment, and grooming.
"As the core of the industrial chain, the pet food industry has seen continuous market expansion in recent years," analyzed Wang Zongli, President of the China Feed Industry Association. During Tmall’s "618" promotion in 2025, pet food sales reached 7.5 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 36%, with emerging categories growing by over 40%.
The pet industry has a prominent driving effect, becoming a force for expanding domestic demand, promoting consumption upgrading, and empowering the real economy. Its upstream connects agricultural raw materials, the midstream includes online and offline brand sales networks, and the downstream derives services such as medical care and grooming.
Liu Lang, Vice President of the China Veterinary Association, believes the pet industry has also become a new engine for job creation. Beyond traditional veterinary roles, emerging professions like pet groomers continue to emerge, opening new paths for the job market.
In the early days, China’s pet food industry mostly served as OEMs for foreign brands, remaining at the low end of the industrial chain with a lack of independent brands and weak core competitiveness. However, with the rise of the domestic pet economy, numerous leading enterprises have emerged—forging ahead with innovation and actively entering the mid-to-high-end market.
Domestic pet food brands are accelerating their rise. Wang Zongli noted that among the top 10 online pet food sellers in 2024, 5 were domestic brands (Myfoodie, Lanshi, NetEase Yanxuan, Xianlang, Weishi). Six local enterprises including GuaiBao Pet and China Pet Foods have successfully listed, with significantly improved brand competitiveness and market recognition.
As the core sector accounting for over half of the pet economy, pet food’s importance is self-evident. Liu Lang stated that the monopoly of foreign brands has been broken. Domestic enterprises are firmly investing in R&D, improving quality, and strengthening brands, injecting strong momentum into the industry’s development.
Technology has not only reshaped the interaction mode between humans and pets but also built a new feeding ecosystem, bringing unprecedented intelligent living experiences to "fur babies."
On mobile app screens, real-time data such as cats’ food intake and nutrient absorption are updated dynamically, with personalized feeding recommendations generated based on their age, weight, and activity level... Today, daily care for pets is becoming increasingly intelligent.
In Chengdu, Sichuan, Ms. Huang remotely controls an intelligent feeder via a mobile app to accurately feed customized fresh food to her pet cat, exemplifying tech-driven pet care.
Wang Zongli pointed out that driven by both technological and industrial upgrading, innovative products such as smart supplies (e.g., feeders, litter boxes), pet insurance, and health management apps have sprung up, promoting the upgrading of pet products toward high added value.
"Technology has equipped the pet industry with wings for takeoff," as Wang Jinquan, Chief Scientist of the Pet Nutrition and Food Innovation Team at the Feed Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, put it. Today, pet supplies are constantly upgrading in form, and consumer demand is shifting from "basic feeding" to "emotional companionship" and "precision nutrition."
Wang Fengzhong from the Institute of Food and Nutrition Development, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, stated that technology is injecting strong momentum into the pet industry. Chinese pet enterprises and institutions should focus on breakthroughs in precision medicine and functional food R&D to drive the industry’s multi-dimensional development.
Pet industrial parks play a key role in the clustering and upgrading of China’s pet industry, injecting strong impetus into the sustained growth of the pet economy. In recent years, local governments have actively participated in the planning and construction of regional pet industrial parks.
According to the latest statistics from the China Feed Industry Association, Shandong Province’s pet food output reached 566,000 tons in 2024, surpassing Hebei Province, while the northeast region also shows emerging development momentum. Wang Zongli noted that the pet industry has significant clustering effects, achieving clustered development relying on advantages such as raw materials and location. Shandong and Hebei account for nearly 70% of national output, and the Yangtze River Delta accounts for 21%.
Currently, 22 key pet industrial parks have been built nationwide, including Nanhe Pet Town in Hebei and Yantai Pet Industrial Park in Shandong. Geographically, Linyi in Shandong, Xingtai in Hebei, and the Yangtze River Delta have become core development regions. Emerging areas such as Pinggu District in Beijing and Luohu District in Shenzhen are also accelerating their layout.
Reporters learned that Shenzhen’s Luohu District is planning and constructing a 75,000-square-meter pet economy industrial park, which has successfully attracted 182 pet enterprises to settle in. To promote the industry’s rapid development, the local government has also introduced special support policies.
"Local governments are actively introducing policies to promote the innovative and green development of the pet industry in the park," Zhao Jinghui, Deputy General Manager of Jiangsu Jinguan Investment and Development Group Co., Ltd., told reporters. Jiangsu’s Guannan County is leveraging its geographical and resource advantages to build a full industrial chain park for pet food. Currently, the park has attracted multiple pet enterprises, forming an industrial cluster effect.
Anshan in Liaoning is an important pet breeding base in China. Han Wei, Deputy Director of Anshan’s Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, stated that Anshan transports 1.5 million dogs and cats to the whole country every year. In addition, the standardization of pet transactions is advancing steadily—the draft of relevant group standards formulated with the participation of the Anshan Pet Chamber of Commerce has been completed and is under accelerated review, expected to be released later this year.
Wang Fengzhong believes that currently, local pet industrial parks have formed a full industrial chain covering R&D, production, testing, and sales. The shift from single production to an integrated "R&D-manufacturing-marketing" model has improved industrial efficiency.
Driven by globalization, China’s pet industry is accelerating its "going global" pace, with brands becoming increasingly internationalized.
Wang Jinquan stated that over the past decade, China’s import and export trade of dog and cat food has shown a steady growth trend, with exports occupying a dominant position. This benefits from the continuous expansion of the international pet food market and the steady improvement of China’s pet food production capacity and quality.
Japan and South Korea are important export destinations for China’s pet food, accounting for 12% of total exports in 2022. Chinese brands have entered the Japanese market with cost-effectiveness and differentiation. In 2024, China’s exports of non-canned pet food to South Korea doubled compared to 2015.
However, the internationalization journey of Chinese pet brands is not without challenges. Wang Jinquan analyzed that in the Australian market, consumers favor high-end, healthy pet food, and the fresh food market continues to expand. If pet products lack sufficient quality or differentiation, their penetration will be limited.
Despite challenges, many enterprises have achieved impressive results. In 2024, orders for China Pet Foods’ independent brand Wanpy continued to climb in Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa. That year, China Pet Foods achieved revenue of 4.465 billion yuan, with overseas revenue accounting for 68.33%; in the first half of 2025, revenue reached 2.432 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 24.32%.
Regarding the international development of Chinese independent pet brands, Chen Xiaowei, President of the Fujian Pet Service Industry Association, believes that to achieve the transformation from "manufacturing going global" to "brand going global," Chinese independent pet brands should leverage their supply chain advantages and continuously improve product innovation and brand value.
While the pet industry is booming, it also faces numerous challenges. Some enterprises focus on mid-to-low-end products, lack investment in core technology R&D, rely on imports, suffer from a shortage of professional talents, and face severe product homogenization. In addition, harmful online information disrupts the market and hinders industrial upgrading.
Some consumers reported that to select suitable food for their pets, they need to carefully study ingredient lists, test reports, and prices like researchers to avoid "stepping on mines." On some e-commerce platforms, pet food advertisements are overwhelming, with misleading slogans such as "42% high protein" and "freeze-dried fresh locking" making it difficult to choose.
Chen Xiaowei reminded consumers to remain rational when purchasing pet products, not blindly trust internet celebrities or KOLs, and be wary of "fake experts." They should choose brands with clear standards, certifications, and traceability, and pay attention to mid-to-high-end products.
Cao Lingxiang, Partner of Beijing Zhongyin Law Firm, advised consumers to understand relevant laws and regulations, choose enterprises with compliant qualifications and guaranteed product quality, not trust advertisements blindly, strengthen their awareness of rights protection, preserve and fix consumption evidence, and safeguard their legitimate rights and interests through complaints to government authorities or court litigation.
Chen Xiaowei proposed that for pet industry enterprises to move toward high-quality development, they should formulate enterprise standards stricter than national and industry standards, disclose formula and nutritional indicators, and introduce third-party traceability. Medium and large enterprises should take the path of standardized branding.
In terms of early warning monitoring and standard formulation for pet food, Wang Jinquan stated that key monitoring has been carried out on pet feed raw materials and all categories of products, with strict inspections of safety indicators. Multiple industry standards have been promoted for project approval, and the formulation of mandatory national standards is being organized to regulate raw materials, quality control, safety testing, and traceability.
"Promoting harmonious coexistence between humans and pets and green development is the core essence of the sustainable development of the pet industry," Wang Zongli suggested. In the future, it is necessary to establish a collaborative mechanism among the government, enterprises, and consumers to pool efforts and promote China’s pet market to move from scale expansion to high-quality development.
