Rising living costs around the globe are reshaping the international pet food market, steering pet owners towards ‘affordable premium’ products, as consumers balance high nutritional standards with household budgets, according to the Trade Policy and Strategy Office (TPSO).
Nantapong Chiralerspong, director general of the TPSO, part of the Ministry of Commerce, stated that Thai pet food exports continue to expand steadily. As pet humanisation remains a dominant global lifestyle trend, demand for high-quality, safe and specialised health-focused pet food continues to grow worldwide.
In 2025, Thailand exported pet food worth US$3.27 billion (approximately 107.47 billion baht), marking an 8.15% increase from US$3.02 billion (106.39 billion baht) in 2024.
Despite global economic pressures regarding living costs and production expenses, the strong performance cemented Thailand's position as the world's second-largest pet food exporter in 2025, holding a 10.2% global export market share, trailing only Germany at 12.1%.
During the first five months of 2026, Thai pet food shipments reached US$1.42 billion (44.84 billion baht), up 5.15% year-on-year.
The United States remained Thailand's top export destination, accounting for US$430.84 million (30.22% of Thailand’s total pet food exports), followed by Japan (US$157.85 million, 11.07%), Australia (US$76.55 million, 5.37%), Italy (US$72.63 million, 5.09%), and Germany (US$65.72 million, 4.61%).
Markets showing outstanding growth during the first five months of this year include France, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, India, Japan and Malaysia. This indicates that Thai pet food still has opportunities to expand into both high-income countries and Asian markets with growing purchasing power.
Nantapong highlighted that the emerging dominant global trend is ‘Healthy Pet – Affordable Premium’, saying that “While pet owners remain committed to offering high-quality nutrition, inflation and economic pressures have made cost efficiency a priority, spurring demand for premium benefits offered at accessible price points.”
Pet food products with high growth potential include high-protein formulae, vitamin and mineral supplements, immunity-boosting foods, easily digestible formulas, senior pet foods, cat foods and products incorporating natural ingredients or featuring clear health claims.
To capitalise on these shifts, the TPSO chief urged Thai manufacturers to leverage the country's rich sources of agricultural raw materials, food processing expertise, stringent safety standards and flexible production capabilities to supply high-value, competitively priced products tailored to meet international buyer demands.
Regarding market strategy, operators should maintain primary market bases, such as the United States, Japan, Australia and Europe, which prioritise standards, safety and product quality. Simultaneously, they should accelerate expansion into high-potential markets like India, ASEAN, the Middle East and secondary Asian cities.
These regions are seeing a growing number of pet owners, an expanding middle-class income earners and a shift in pet food purchasing behaviour towards online channels and specialty stores.
