China’s pet parents are redefining family life

Many young Chinese are choosing pets over children

For Shanghai resident Li Wen, the decision to adopt a cat came naturally. Having spent years working long hours in the city’s competitive corporate environment, she wanted companionship but felt unprepared for the financial and emotional commitments that come with getting married and raising a child.

“My cat is my family,” she says. “I can give him a good life, but with all the pressure I am under, I don’t think I can have children.” Li is far from alone.

As China’s birthrate continues to fall, a growing number of younger urbanites are directing their emotional and financial attention toward pets. Recent estimates suggest companion animals already outnumber children under the age of four in China’s cities, and it is predicted that this gap could widen significantly over the coming decade.

The trend is helping fuel one of China’s fastest-growing consumer sectors, creating opportunities across pet food, healthcare, grooming, insurance, travel and retail. Yet it also reveals a deeper story about shifting social pressure and changing attitudes toward family life.

“Pets are now widely viewed as companions and family members rather than simply domestic animals,” says Zheng Mu, associate professor of sociology at the National University of Singapore. “This reflects broader shifts toward more individualized and emotionally oriented forms of living.”

Family life under pressure

The rise of pet ownership has unfolded alongside one of the most significant demographic shifts in modern Chinese history.

China recorded just 7.92 million births in 2025, less than half the level seen in 2016, when Beijing ended the one-child policy in the hope of encouraging larger families. Despite successive policy adjustments and incentives aimed at boosting birthrates, they have continued to decline.

At the same time, pet ownership has surged, particularly among younger urban consumers. According to the 2025 China Pet Industry White Paper, China’s urban dog and cat population reached more than 126 million animals last year, including nearly 73 million cats and 53 million dogs.

Research cited by Goldman Sachs suggests companion animals may already outnumber children under the age of four in China’s cities. By 2030, pets could outnumber young children by as much as two to one.

The contrasting trends reflect broader economic and social pressures facing younger generations. Rising housing costs, expensive education, demanding work schedules, and an increasingly competitive job market have made parenthood a far less attractive proposition for many urban Chinese.

“The trend is closely connected to China’s low birthrate because many young adults perceive childrearing as financially and emotionally demanding under current competitive educational, social, and economic conditions,” Zheng says.

“High housing prices, educational competition, demanding work schedules, and economic uncertainty make raising children appear burdensome.”

Olivia Plotnick, founder of consumer research consultancy WaiSocial, says that the trend is particularly visible among China’s post-90s and post-00s generations.

“Most were born under the one-child policy—smaller family units, fewer cousins, no siblings,” she says. “They grew up with a booming economy and the expectation that hard work would be rewarded, then came of age just as that promise started to fracture.”

The result is +a generation increasingly reassessing traditional expectations surrounding marriage, home ownership, and parenthood.

“The cost of raising a child, not just financially but in terms of career sacrifice and lifestyle change, is a calculation more and more young people are choosing not to make,” Plotnick says.

Pets are driving a major consumer market.

China’s pet economy has become one of the country’s fastest-growing consumer sectors. According to the 2025 China Pet Industry White Paper, the urban pet market reached 312.6 billion yuan ($43.5 billion) last year, more than doubling in size compared to five years ago. Industry forecasts suggest the market could exceed 400 billion yuan within the next few years.

“Pet-related spending has expanded rapidly as pets are increasingly treated as valued family members,” Zheng says. “Consumption now includes premium pet food, grooming services, healthcare, daycare, insurance, training, smart devices, pet-friendly travel and even funeral services.”

The industry is attracting both domestic and foreign companies eager to tap into one of China’s most promising consumer markets. Pet-friendly shopping malls, cafes, hotels and travel services have become increasingly common as businesses adapt to changing consumer preferences.

The trend is visible far beyond China’s largest cities. “In my own travels tracking retail and consumer trends across lower-tier cities, I’ve seen pet cafes flourishing in cities like Taiyuan and Fuzhou,” Plotnick says.

“In Wenzhou, I visited a pet bakery run by a young woman making organic treats and pet food on-site. In Chengdu, I visited a pet cafe which had a second floor exclusively for private bookings for pet birthday parties. The owner told me it was fully booked out for the next three months.”

The popularity of such businesses highlights how pet ownership is increasingly becoming part of a broader lifestyle identity rather than simply a practical decision.

“Spending on pets reflects broader aspirations toward lifestyle quality and emotional consumption among younger consumers,” Zheng says.

Companionship in a high-pressure society

Many younger Chinese professionals face long working hours, intense competition and growing concerns about mental health.

“Many young migrants live far from extended family support networks and experience loneliness despite living in highly populated cities,” Zheng says. “Pets offer emotional comfort, routine, and unconditional companionship, helping individuals cope with anxiety, burnout, and feelings of insecurity.”

For many young Chinese, pets provide emotional rewards without the obligations and complexities that often accompany human relationships.

On social media platforms, discussions around pet ownership increasingly focus on emotional wellbeing, independence and personal choice.

“The conversation around pet ownership in China is particularly interesting,” says Plotnick. “On RedNote, the hashtag #childfreecatwomen has accumulated more than 19 million views.”

“Users weigh the financial and emotional trade-offs in detail, compare the long-term costs of children versus pets, and reframe pet spending as a deliberate form of emotional investment,” Plotnick says.

These discussions often reflect changing attitudes toward relationships themselves.

“Relationships are no longer assumed obligations. They’re evaluated,” Plotnick says. “Solitude is increasingly framed not as failure but as a preference and as a means to protect one’s mental health. Pets fit this worldview precisely. They offer consistent emotional return without social expectation.”

More than a substitute for children

The growing popularity of pets alongside falling fertility rates has prompted frequent comparisons between pet ownership and parenthood.

“Pets can fulfill some emotional functions traditionally associated with children, such as companionship, caregiving and emotional attachment,” Zheng says. “But they cannot fully replace children within the broader social and familial structure.”

Children continue to carry significant cultural meanings related to family lineage, intergenerational support and social identity in Chinese society.

Rather than replacing children, Zheng argues, pets are helping reshape how younger people experience intimacy, care and family life.

This distinction is important because pets and children are not mutually exclusive. Many families raise both. Yet the rise of pet ownership nevertheless offers valuable insight into how younger Chinese are adapting to an increasingly demanding social and economic environment.

For some, pets may represent a stepping stone toward eventual parenthood. For others, they provide an alternative form of companionship in a world where traditional family milestones appear increasingly difficult to achieve.

A generational shift

Whether China’s pet boom represents a temporary consumer trend or a deeper social transformation remains an important question. For Zheng, the answer is clear. “This appears to be a meaningful and long-term social change rather than a temporary trend,” she says.

The forces driving pet ownership—including urbanization, delayed marriage, declining fertility, changing gender roles, economic pressure and growing individualization—are clearly structural.

While pets are unlikely to solve the demographic challenges posed by China’s aging population and shrinking workforce, they are increasingly shaping how younger Chinese define family, companionship and personal fulfillment.

For Li Wen, the demands of building a successful career in Shanghai are at odds with the traditional expectations for someone in her 30s. “I don’t even have time to consider getting married, let alone think about children. I think my future is going to be me and my cat,” she says.