Pet Insurance Boom in Germany: Contracts More Than Double

The financial burden of pet ownership in Germany has intensified significantly, prompting a surge in demand for animal insurance policies as veterinary care costs climb. According to data from the German Insurance Association (GDV), the total number of insured pets across the country more than doubled between 2019 and 2024, jumping from 845,000 to two million.

This expansion in coverage coincides with broader economic shifts in the domestic pet market. Data from the Central Association of the Pet Industry (ZZF) indicates that animal companions live in roughly 43 percent of German households, with cats numbering 15.7 million and dogs totaling 10 million. As medical expenses rise due to regulatory adjustments and advanced treatments, policyholders increasingly turn to formal insurance products to manage household budgets.

Financial inflows into the sector reflect this growing reliance on risk management. GDV figures show that total premium collections climbed from 173 million euros in 2019 to 720 million euros five years later. Industry representatives attribute this sharp trajectory primarily to regulatory changes governing veterinary fees and advancements in veterinary medicine.

Regulatory Adjustments Drive Up Veterinary Bills

A key driver behind the rising demand for coverage is the adjustment of the official Fee Schedule for Veterinarians (GOT). Data from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture indicates that overall veterinary costs increased between 20 and 25 percent following the regulatory update, with specific medical procedures seeing much steeper adjustments.

Cat owners have experienced particularly pronounced cost shifts under the revised framework, as standard treatment charges for felines were aligned with those traditionally applied to dogs. Under the previous schedule, a basic examination for a dog cost 13 euros, while the same procedure for a cat was billed at 8.98 euros. Under the updated fee order, the baseline simple fee rate for a routine check-up stands at 23.62 euros for both species. Depending on the time required, case complexity, or emergency out-of-hours deployment, veterinarians may apply double, triple, or quadruple multipliers.

Medical innovation further amplifies overall treatment expenditures. “Veterinary medicine can achieve far more today than it could just a few years ago,” notes Anja Käfer-Rohrbach, deputy chief executive officer at the GDV. “That makes treatments more expensive, however.” This technological progression, paired with higher statutory fees, has accelerated the shift toward formal insurance agreements.

Shifting Preferences Toward Comprehensive Coverage

Pet owners generally choose between two primary structures when seeking financial protection: surgical cost insurance and full pet health insurance. Surgical policies cover necessary operations along with pre- and post-operative care. In contrast, comprehensive health policies absorb those surgical costs while also funding routine veterinary visits, prescription medications, specialized diagnostics such as laboratory work, ultrasound, and X-rays, alongside preventive measures like vaccinations and deworming treatments.

GDV records show a marked transition toward comprehensive policies over recent years. While only about 20 percent of insured pet owners held a full health policy in 2020, that share rose to nearly 40 percent by 2024. Although standalone surgical policies remain the most common choice among the majority of dog and cat owners, comprehensive veterinary health insurance continues to narrow the gap. “We observe that owners increasingly choose comprehensive protection rather than covering only individual risks,” Käfer-Rohrbach states.