In 2024, approximately 10 million families will have at least one pet, equal to 37.7% of all families. This figure was 36.2% in 2015. 22.1% of families have at least one dog, while 17.4% have at least one cat. Overall, 33.9% of families own at least one or both. The data was reported by Istat, the National Institute of Statistics, as part of the Istat report on animals in Italy. 42.7% of families in Central Italy have pets. In municipalities with up to 2,000 inhabitants, this figure rises to almost one in two families (47.7%). In 2024, 38.1% of people aged 11 and over took care of pets, 23.8% regularly (once or more a week), and 14.3% less frequently. These are the key data.