--- title: "Pet insurance statistics Australia 2026: household spendi..." description: "Australian households reported average annual pet insurance spending of $145 for dogs and $70 for cats in the year to March 2025. These population-wide averages" lang: en-AU json-ld: | { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Article", "headline": "Pet insurance statistics Australia 2026: household spending and uptake", "description": "Australian households reported average annual pet insurance spending of $145 for dogs and $70 for cats in the year to March 2025. These population-wide averages include households without insurance and are not average policy premiums. About 24% of dog owners and 14% of cat owners reported having insurance.", "image": [ "https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1583337130417-3346a1be7dee?auto=format&fit=crop&w=2000&q=80" ], "datePublished": "2026-07-20T00:00:00+00:00", "dateModified": "2026-07-20T06:22:07.878807+00:00", "author": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "CheckRate" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "CheckRate" }, "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://checkrate.com.au/average-pet-insurance" } } --- [CheckRate ](/) [Library](/articles) Back insurance # Pet insurance statistics Australia 2026: household spending and uptake Australian households reported average annual pet insurance spending of $145 for dogs and $70 for cats in the year to March 2025. These population-wide averages include households without insurance and are not average policy premiums. About 24% of dog owners and 14% of cat owners reported having insurance. 9 min read 20 July 2026 Updated 20 July 2026 Fact checked In this article 1. [How much do Australian households spend on pet insurance?](#how-much-do-australian-households-spend-on-pet-insurance) 2. [How does pet insurance spending compare for dogs and cats?](#how-does-pet-insurance-spending-compare-for-dogs-and-cats) 3. [What types of pet insurance are available in Australia?](#what-types-of-pet-insurance-are-available-in-australia) 4. [How pet insurance costs vary by breed, age and cover level](#how-pet-insurance-costs-vary-by-breed-age-and-cover-level) 5. [Why do Australian pet owners go without pet insurance?](#why-do-australian-pet-owners-go-without-pet-insurance) 6. [How have veterinary prices and pet insurance participation changed?](#how-have-veterinary-prices-and-pet-insurance-participation-changed) Key figures $145 Average annual pet insurance spend per **dog-owning household**, to March 2025 24% Share of dog owners with insurance in **2025**, vs 14% of cat owners 50% Uninsured dog owners citing **cost** as a reason, vs 49% of cat owners +62% ABS **vet services price index**, Mar 2015 to Mar 2026 (8-city weighted avg) Total national spending on pet insurance reached approximately $1.0 billion. Separately, the ABS price index for veterinary and other pet services rose by approximately 62% between the March quarters of 2015 and 2026, based on the weighted average of the eight capital cities. [ 10 min read Average insurance cost in Australia in 2026: how much households spend on premiums A look across home, car, health, contents and pet insurance together, and how total premium spending compares with other household bills. Read full article ](/average-insurance-cost)[ 8 min read How much have insurance premiums increased in Australia? How premiums across major insurance categories have moved in recent years, and what's been driving the increases. Read full article ](/insurance-premium-increases)[ 9 min read Average health insurance cost in Australia in 2026 What private health cover costs by hospital tier and extras level, and how premiums have changed with the annual indexation round. Read full article ](/average-health-insurance) Section 01 What the national data measures ## How much do Australian households spend on pet insurance? Average annual pet insurance spending was **$145** per dog-owning household and **$70** per cat-owning household in the year to March 2025. These are the most recent public national figures identified, from Animal Medicines Australia's _Pets in Australia 2025_, a national industry survey. Animal Medicines Australia is the peak body representing Australia's animal health industry. This is the only public national estimate identified for this article. No public national dataset was found that breaks pet insurance premiums down by breed, age, city or cover level. Insurers price policies individually, and this detail is not captured in publicly available insurance-industry statistics. These are [household-spending averages](/household-spending), not policy premiums, and they include households that reported no insurance spending at all. An average covering insured households only would likely be higher, but the published data does not allow that difference to be measured directly. Average spend, dogs $145 per dog-owning household, year to March 2025 Averaged across all dog-owning households, including those without a current policy. A household-spending measure, not a policy premium. Average spend, cats $70 per cat-owning household, year to March 2025 Averaged across all cat-owning households, including those without a current policy. Cat owners also reported lower insurance participation than dog owners, though the survey does not quantify how much this contributes to the spending difference. Total national spend $1.0bn pet insurance category, year to March 2025 Estimated national expenditure in the survey's pet-insurance category. Sits alongside about $1.9 billion spent on veterinary services. ### Pet insurance accounted for about 5% of total pet spending Australians spent an estimated **$21.3 billion** on their pets in the year to March 2025. Pet insurance accounted for about **$1.0 billion** of that total, equivalent to approximately **5%**. - Food: $9.8 billion - Veterinary services: $1.9 billion - Products and accessories: $1.4 billion - Pet insurance: $1.0 billion A dog-owning household reported average annual pet spending of approximately $2,520, while a cat-owning household reported approximately $1,656. Pet insurance represented one component of these totals, with most dog and cat owners reporting that they did not have insurance. Total pet spending $21.3bn All pets, year to March 2025 Pet insurance $1.0bn About 5% of total pet spending Veterinary services $1.9bn Estimated national spending, year to March 2025 **Source:** Animal Medicines Australia, _Pets in Australia 2025_. The approximately 5% share was calculated from the published category totals: $1.0 billion divided by $21.3 billion. Why $145 is not an average pet insurance premium The report does not publish the cross-tabulation needed to compare spending between insured and uninsured households. The $145 figure therefore represents average insurance spending across all dog-owning households, not the average price of a pet insurance policy. The same limitation applies to the $70 figure for cat-owning households. Section 02 Dogs, cats and everything else ## How does pet insurance spending compare for dogs and cats? Dog-owning households reported roughly twice the average insurance spending of cat-owning households: **$145 compared with $70**. Part of that difference is likely explained by participation: 24% of dog owners reported holding insurance, compared with 14% of cat owners. The survey does not publish the cross-tabulation needed to separate how much of the difference comes from participation and how much comes from spending among insured households. Because the household average blends both effects, the comparison below is a spending comparison, not a like-for-like premium comparison. Pet insurance spending and participation in Australia, dogs vs cats Average annual household spend and reported insurance participation, year to March 2025. Shown in two panels because the measures use different units. Official data Average annual spend ($) Owners reporting insurance (%) Dog-owning households spent roughly twice what cat-owning households spent, and dog owners reported holding a policy at about 1.7 times the rate cat owners did. The spending difference likely reflects both participation and spending among insured households, but the published tables do not cross-tab the two measures or quantify each factor's contribution. **Source:** Animal Medicines Australia, _Pets in Australia 2025_, published 18 September 2025. Spend figures are averages across all owner households; **the dog expenditure sample included 1,188 households and the cat expenditure sample included 779 households**. Participation figures are the reported share of dog and cat owners with insurance. ![CheckRate](/__l5e/assets-v1/7bc4597d-01a6-41ce-b2ee-e3271c8e8b60/checkrate-logo.png) The national survey reports insurance spending only for dogs and cats. It does not publish insurance-spending figures for birds, fish, reptiles or small mammals, so it cannot support a national cost estimate for those pet types. Section 03 Cover types and their limits ## What types of pet insurance are available in Australia? ASIC's Moneysmart groups stand-alone pet insurance into three broad categories: accident-only, accident and illness, and comprehensive cover. Some home and contents policies also offer pet cover as an optional extra. These are general consumer categories rather than a standardised classification used by every insurer. The two pet insurance products reviewed for this article offered reimbursement rates of 70%, 80% or 90%, with annual benefit limits ranging from $10,000 to $30,000, depending on the cover selected. These figures are product examples, not national averages. The table below sets out the Moneysmart categories alongside figures from the two Australian pet insurance products reviewed for this article. It is not a market survey, and no premiums are quoted. Pet insurance cover categories in Australia, with example figures Based on publicly available product information from two Australian pet insurance providers, reviewed 15 July 2026. Illustrative ranges only, not a market-wide average. Official data Cover type General description What this looks like in practice **Accident-only** Vet costs from specified accidental injuries only; excludes illness Neither product reviewed offered stand-alone accident-only cover; both included illness cover as standard **Accident and illness** Accidental injury plus eligible illnesses, subject to limits and exclusions Reimbursement rates of 70%, 80% or 90%; annual benefit limits between $10,000 and $30,000; excess options between $0 and $500, depending on the tier chosen **Comprehensive** Accidents, illness, preventative care and some routine veterinary checks, such as vaccinations and worming Optional add-ons for dental care and specialised therapies, typically capped around $2,000 a year; some products also offer a separate, non-insurance benefit for routine items like vaccinations This is a general guide, not a market-wide average. Cover, annual limits, reimbursement rates, excesses, exclusions and optional benefits vary between products and insurers. Premiums may also vary according to the pet and its location. Current terms are set out in each insurer's Product Disclosure Statement. **Source:** ASIC Moneysmart, _Pet insurance_, updated 18 June 2026, and publicly available pet insurance product information reviewed 15 July 2026; see References. ![CheckRate](/__l5e/assets-v1/7bc4597d-01a6-41ce-b2ee-e3271c8e8b60/checkrate-logo.png) Why average premiums are not compared by cover type No public national dataset provides average premiums for accident-only, accident and illness, or comprehensive pet insurance. A reliable comparison would require standardised quotes across multiple insurers while holding breed, age, location, benefit limit, reimbursement rate and excess constant. This article therefore compares general cover categories without estimating average premiums. Section 04 The pricing levers ## How pet insurance costs vary by breed, age and cover level Pet insurance premiums can vary according to the pet's species, breed and age, as well as the annual benefit limit, reimbursement rate, excess and optional benefits selected. Available sources identify these factors but do not quantify the average dollar effect of each one. ### Factors that can influence a premium Government guidance and the product examples reviewed for this article point to several relevant factors, from reimbursement rates as low as 70% and as high as 90%, to annual benefit limits as high as $30,000. The size of each effect varies between products and insurers: - **Species and breed:** ASIC Moneysmart states that some breeds have health risks or characteristics that can make insurance more expensive or unavailable. Product terms and pricing may also differ between dogs and cats. - **Age:** Insurers may charge different premiums according to a pet's age, and some policies restrict new cover or particular benefits beyond a specified age. - **Annual benefit limit:** Some policies allow customers to choose from several annual benefit limits, which can affect the premium. - **Reimbursement percentage:** the share of an eligible bill the insurer pays back. Some policies offer a choice of **70%, 80% or 90%**. This article does not quantify the dollar effect of each option, since no standardised quotes were collected for comparison. - **Excess:** some policies also let customers choose an annual excess, which can affect the premium too. - **Cover level and add-ons:** some policies offer optional dental, specialised-therapy or routine-care benefits on top of base accident-and-illness cover. Depending on the product, routine-care benefits may be structured as a separate non-insurance benefit rather than part of the policy. Several of these settings are selected by the policyholder rather than determined by the pet. Owners of pets with the same breed and age may therefore pay different premiums if they select different benefit limits, reimbursement rates, excesses or optional benefits. An average premium based only on breed or age would not account for these policy differences. **Source:** ASIC Moneysmart, _Pet insurance_, updated 18 June 2026, and publicly available product information from the two pet insurance products reviewed for this article. No national data shows how much each factor adds to a premium The pricing factors listed in this section draw on government guidance and product information reviewed for this article. The sources do not quantify the average dollar effect of individual factors. For example, they do not show the average premium difference between a five-year-old and an eight-year-old dog or between different reimbursement rates. Specific dollar comparisons by breed, age or cover setting generally require standardised policy quotes. No standardised quote collection was conducted for this article, so these differences are not estimated. Section 05 Why so many go without ## Why do Australian pet owners go without pet insurance? Around half of uninsured dog and cat owners cited [cost as a reason](/cost-of-living) for going without cover, while around four in ten cited a lack of perceived value. These were the two most common reasons reported. Because respondents could choose more than one reason, this does not show what share cited at least one of the two. Why Australian pet owners go without insurance Reasons given by uninsured dog and cat owners, year to March 2025. Owners could give more than one reason. Official data Dog owners Cat owners Cost was the most common reason for both dog and cat owners. Half of uninsured dog owners cited cost, compared with 49% of uninsured cat owners. Cat owners were more likely than dog owners to say they did not see the value in pet insurance, at 44% compared with 37%. Because owners could select more than one reason, the percentages add to more than 100%. **Source:** Animal Medicines Australia, _Pets in Australia 2025_. Based on 903 uninsured dog owners and 667 uninsured cat owners. ![CheckRate](/__l5e/assets-v1/7bc4597d-01a6-41ce-b2ee-e3271c8e8b60/checkrate-logo.png) The same survey reported that 24% of dog owners and 14% of cat owners had insurance. However, it does not establish how the reasons for remaining uninsured affected participation or household spending. The survey also recorded other cost-related behaviours. About 14% of dog owners and 18% of cat owners reported at least one of the following healthcare-related actions to reduce spending: - Making check-ups or vaccinations less frequent - Reducing or stopping a pet's medication - Giving a pet medication intended for humans 12% of pet owners reported needing financial assistance for veterinary care in the previous 12 months. **Source:** Animal Medicines Australia, _Pets in Australia 2025_. The cost-related healthcare figures were based on 1,188 dog owners and 779 cat owners. The financial-assistance figure was based on 1,848 current pet owners. ### Why premiums differ between pets and policies Lifetime pet insurance premiums can run into the thousands of dollars, government guidance notes. That guidance also points to waiting periods and pre-existing-condition exclusions as factors that affect when and whether treatment is covered. For those who do insure, premiums differ for the reasons set out in Section 4: species, breed and age on the pet's side, and benefit limit, reimbursement percentage, excess and add-ons on the policy side. 50% of uninsured dog owners cited cost as a reason for not having pet insurance Cost was the most common reason for going without cover among both groups: 50% of uninsured dog owners and 49% of uninsured cat owners. The next most common reason, not seeing the value, was cited by 37% of dog owners and 44% of cat owners. Owners could give more than one reason, so these shares are not mutually exclusive. Section 06 The cost of the bills behind the cover ## How have veterinary prices and pet insurance participation changed? The ABS [price index](/inflation) for veterinary and other pet services, based on the weighted average of the eight capital cities, rose by approximately **62%** between the March quarters of 2015 and 2026. On an annual-average basis, the index climbed from about 63 in 2015 to about 99 in 2025. This tracks the cost of veterinary care, not the cost of pet insurance. No continuous official pet insurance premium series was identified for this article, so a trend line for the price of cover cannot be presented. Veterinary and other pet services price index, weighted average of eight capital cities ABS Consumer Price Index, annual average of the quarterly series, eight-capital-cities weighted average. Official data The index rose every year on an annual-average basis. Annual increases were smaller in the years to 2020, ranging from about 1.6 to 2.5 points a year. They were larger from 2021 to 2023, reaching 6.4 points in 2023, then eased to 5.5 points in 2024 and 4.7 points in 2025. Because index movements are unaffected by the choice of reference base, the 62% rise over the period is unchanged by the ABS re-referencing of the series. The vertical axis starts at 55, not zero, so year-to-year movements are easier to read. The final point, shown as a hollow marker with a dashed segment, represents the March quarter of 2026 rather than a full-year average. **Source:** ABS, _Consumer Price Index, Australia_, Table 18, veterinary and other services for pets expenditure class. The reference base is the September quarter of 2025 = 100. Annual averages and the 62% increase were calculated from the published quarterly index values. ![CheckRate](/__l5e/assets-v1/7bc4597d-01a6-41ce-b2ee-e3271c8e8b60/checkrate-logo.png) ### Veterinary price inflation is not pet insurance inflation The ABS index measures changes in the price of veterinary and other pet services, not pet insurance premiums. The 62% increase therefore does not show that pet insurance premiums rose by the same amount. No continuous official pet insurance premium series was identified for this article. ### Can pet insurance participation be compared over time? The survey reports do not use a consistent pet insurance spending or premium measure from year to year. Depending on the survey year, published measures cover: - All owners - Insured owners only - Household expenditure rather than a policy premium The 2025 report recalculates overall 2022 pet expenditure using the same outlier-adjustment method used in 2025, but does not present a revised 2022 pet insurance category total. For that reason, the available figures cannot support a consistent trend in pet insurance premiums or category spending. One measure appears broadly comparable across the two survey waves: reported insurance participation, subject to the source limitation below. ### Reported insurance participation in 2022 and 2025 The reported share of dog owners with insurance was **17%** in 2022 and **24%** in 2025. For cat owners, the reported shares were **12%** and **14%**. The 2025 estimate was seven percentage points higher for dogs and two percentage points higher for cats. The source does not report whether these differences are statistically significant, so the figures should be treated as comparisons between survey point estimates rather than evidence of a continuing trend. Share of Australian pet owners with insurance, 2022 vs 2025 Percentage of dog and cat owners reporting insurance, Animal Medicines Australia surveys. Official data 2022 2025 The reported 2025 estimate was seven percentage points higher for dogs and two percentage points higher for cats than in 2022. Even at the higher 2025 figure, roughly three in four dog owners and six in seven cat owners reported not having insurance. **Source:** Animal Medicines Australia, _Pets in Australia 2022 and 2025_. Figures are the reported share of dog and cat owners with insurance. **Source limitation:** The narrative in the 2022 report states that 12% of cat owners had insurance, while a table on the same page reports 21%. The underlying insured-cat sample was 72 respondents out of 649 cat owners, equivalent to approximately 11%. This article therefore uses the narrative figure of 12% and treats the 21% table entry as an apparent source error. The comparison with 2025 was calculated from the reported point estimates and is not presented as a time series by Animal Medicines Australia. ![CheckRate](/__l5e/assets-v1/7bc4597d-01a6-41ce-b2ee-e3271c8e8b60/checkrate-logo.png) Interactive explorer How the reported average changes when uninsured households are _excluded_ The national A$145 and A$70 averages include households without a current policy. Selecting a pet type shows the reported average, the reported share of owners with insurance, and an illustrative adjusted figure based on disclosed assumptions. This is a calculation, not a survey result. Pet type Dogs Cats Reported average A$145 Across all owner households Owners reporting insurance 24% Reported share with a policy No current policy 76% Assumed A$0 in this illustration Illustrative adjusted figure About A$604 Household average ÷ reported insured share; not a premium or quote This calculation is not a premium or a quote. It assumes that the annual-spending and insurance-participation figures line up, and that households without a current policy contributed no insurance spending. The source does not publish the cross-tab needed to verify either assumption. General information only This is general information only, based on publicly available survey data, official statistics and consumer guidance. It doesn't constitute financial, legal or insurance advice, and it isn't a quote for any specific policy. Figures are drawn from a national industry survey, official statistics, government consumer guidance and disclosed calculations. Where the cited data don't answer a question, that limitation is stated rather than filled in with an estimate. ## References 1. 1 [**Animal Medicines Australia**](https://animalmedicinesaustralia.org.au/resources/pets-in-australia-a-national-survey-of-pets-and-people-3/), Pets in Australia: A national survey of pets and people 2025; September 2025. 2. 2 [**Animal Medicines Australia**](https://animalmedicinesaustralia.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/AMAU008-Pet-Ownership22-Report_v1.6_WEB.pdf), Pets in Australia: A national survey of pets and people 2022; November 2022. 3. 3 [**ASIC Moneysmart**](https://moneysmart.gov.au/add-on-insurance/pet-insurance), Pet insurance; updated June 2026. 4. 4 [**Australian Bureau of Statistics**](https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/economy/price-indexes-and-inflation/consumer-price-index-australia/mar-2026), Consumer Price Index, Australia, Table 18; March 2026. 5. 5 [**HCF**](https://www.hcf.com.au/pet-home-car/pet-insurance), HCF Happy Tails Cover pet insurance; product information effective July 2026, and [Bow Wow Meow Pet Insurance](https://bowwowinsurance.com.au/nose-to-tail-cover/), Nose-to-Tail Cover; accessed July 2026 – used for illustrative cover-level examples. Not a representative market sample. The Animal Medicines Australia spending figures are survey estimates for the year to March 2025. Annual-average values for the ABS veterinary and other pet services price index were calculated as the arithmetic mean of the four quarterly index values for each calendar year. The approximately 62% increase was calculated from the change in the index from 62.67 in the March quarter of 2015 to 101.56 in the March quarter of 2026. No standardised live premium quotes were collected for this article. ## Data Snapshots ![pet insurance participation in australia dogs vs cats](https://eznpqfufanyahmlyjhnj.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/article-covers/snapshots/03e517d2-481e-4723-8c56-1d8b1b238848/pet-insurance-participation-in-australia-dogs-vs-cats-o4ix.jpg) Pet insurance participation in australia dogs vs cats ![average annual pet insurance spend in australia dogs vs cats](https://eznpqfufanyahmlyjhnj.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/article-covers/snapshots/03e517d2-481e-4723-8c56-1d8b1b238848/average-annual-pet-insurance-spend-in-australia-dogs-vs-cats-s2lm.jpg) Average annual pet insurance spend in australia dogs vs cats ## Related research [ ![Average contents and landlord insurance costs in Australia](https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1734328819658-0c3ceef27c46?q=80&w=870&auto=format&fit=crop&ixlib=rb-4.1.0&ixid=M3wxMjA3fDB8MHxwaG90by1wYWdlfHx8fGVufDB8fHx8fA%3D%3D) insurance 21 July 2026 · 10 min read ### Average contents and landlord insurance costs in Australia The average home contents insurance premium reached $531 a year in 2024-25, up 20.1% from 2021-22, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. 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