The veterinary market - France (2025)

1.2 The global market

Global market :

In ****, the global market for veterinary services was valued at ***.** billion US ***.** billion by ****, with a compound annual growth rate of *.**% between **** and ****.this market growth is expected to be driven by a number of factors, including increasing global pet ownership, growing awareness of animal health and related issues, increased investment in research and develovelopment, increased adoption of pet insurance, rising spending on pet healthcare, and the emergence of innovative and advanced technologies such as mobile veterinary units and artificial intelligence

The veterinary services market World, **** - ****, in billions of dollars Source: ****

North America holds the largest share with **% of the market, followed by Europe (***).

Veterinary services market share, by region World, ****, in Source: ****

European market:

Veterinary business in the European Union has been growing for the past ten years.

it should be noted that, for the sake of consistency, we have selected data excluding the United Kingdom during the years when it was still part of the EU. UK figures vary between *,*** and *,*** establishments between **** and ****.

Number of veterinary establishments European Union, **** to ****, in units Source: ****

Italy, Spain and Germany are the * countries with the highest number of veterinary establishments in the European Union. Between them, they account ...

1.3 French market

Veterinary activities

We consider here the data provided by Insee under APE code ****Z "Veterinary activities".

Sales of French veterinary establishments have risen sharply in recent years, increasing by **.*% between **** and ****, and exceeding the * billion euro mark in ****.

Sales of veterinary activities under APE code ****Z France, ****-****, in billions of euros Source : Insee Overall growth in the number of veterinarians in France In ****, there will be **,*** veterinarians registered with the Ordre national des vétérinaires, including *,*** first-time registrants that year.

Number of practitioners registered with the Ordre national des vétérinaires France, ****-****, in units Source: ****

The number of new registrants is also on the rise, with *** more new annual registrants than ** years ago, reaching **** new registrants in ****.

New members of the Ordre des Vétérinaires France, ****-****, in units Source: ****

The number of veterinary establishments also increased slightly between **** and ****, from **** to ****. However, there were some fluctuations during this period, marked by the closure of ** establishments in **** and ****.

Number of veterinary establishments France, ****-****, in units Source: ****

The *,*** veterinary establishments comprise *,*** veterinary care facilities, distributed as follows:

Distribution of veterinary care establishments France, ****, in units Source: ****

2.1 Animals in France

Pets

In ****, **% of French people will have pets, including **.*% fish, **.*% cats and **.*% dogs. There will be a total of **.* million pets in ****.

Breakdown of pet population France, ****, % (***) Source: ****

Over the past ** years, cat and dog populations have experienced opposite trends. Whereas in ****, the populations were both close, with almost * million canines and ** million felines, today there are almost twice as many cats as dogs.

Source: ****

Livestock

The livestock population was also on the rise until ****, but has been declining slightly since ****. In ****, there will be around **.* million livestock in France (***), *.*% fewer than in ****. Bovine and porcine species are the most represented, with **.* and **.* million head respectively.

Number of livestock France, ****, millions Source: ****

The number of equidae (***) in France was ***,*** in ****, down *% on ****.

Veterinary sales by species France, ****, in % of sector sales Source: ****

2.2 Profile of veterinarians

By gender

Of the **,*** veterinarians in ****, **.*% were women. Parity in the profession was achieved in ****, and the number of female vets has been rising steadily for many years. The proportion of women vets rose by **.* percentage points between **** and ****, from **.*% to **.*%.

By specialization

The vast majority of veterinarians specialize in companion animals, either exclusively (***). By contrast, veterinarians specializing exclusively in livestock account for just *.*% of all vets. In total, *.*% of veterinarians will have no specialization in ****.

Distribution of veterinarians by specialization France, ****, % (***) Source: ****

By species

Cats and dogs account for the vast majority of vets' sales: in fact, cats represented **% of the sector's sales in ****, and dogs totalled **% of sales. cattle are the *rd largest species in terms of revenue, with **% of sales. [***]

Moreover, sales of companion animals have grown much faster than sales of livestock in recent years: thus, at base *** in ****, sales of companion animals reached *** in ****, compared with *** for livestock. Total veterinary sales in France represented an index of *** in ****. [***]

Unfortunately, we don't have any more recent figures than those for ****, but they give an overall idea of market dynamics.

evolution of veterinary sales by species France, ****-****, index *** in **** Source: ****

2.3 The French and veterinarians

Going to the vet

Over half of French people (***) with a pet last visited a vet less than a year ago, while *% have never been.

Last visit to the vet France, ****, in Source: ****

By far, the structure preferred by the French remains the independent practice, with **% of respondents declaring that they went there for their last appointment with a vet.

Preferred structure for last appointment with a vet France, ****, in Source: ****

The main reason French people go to the vet is for prevention (***).

Reason for last vet visit France, ****, in Source: ****

Opinion on access to veterinary care

When it comes to access to veterinary care, **% of those surveyed consider it easy, while **% consider it a challenge.

Opinion on ease of access to veterinary care France, ****, in Source: ****

Nearly half (***) of respondents say they forego veterinary care for their pets because of the high cost of consultation, care or treatment.

Forgoing veterinary care France, ****, in Source: ****

Image of the veterinary profession

Overall, the French have a positive image of vets, with only *% declaring that they have a poor image of these professionals.

Image of vets among the French France, ****, in Source: ****

The majority of pet owners who have already consulted a vet ...

3.1 Market structure

Breakdown by type of practice

The veterinary profession is also structured according to the type of practice: veterinarians may be self-employed (***) are self-employed.

Type of veterinary practice in France France, ****, in units Source: ****

Distribution by type of practice, by gender

There are even gender-specific trends: **.*% of male veterinarians work as self-employed associates; by contrast, among female veterinarians, the most common type of practice is "salaried self-employed", accounting for **.*% of the female workforce.

Distribution of veterinarians by type of practice, by gender France, ****, % (***) Source: ****

3.2 Market players

The following graph shows the evolution of the number of establishments and employees in France in the veterinary activities of APE code ****Z (***). The number of veterinary establishments has been increasing over the past ** years, rising by *.*% from **** to ****. The number of employees working in veterinary activities is also growing strongly, with **,*** more employees in **** than in ****.

Number of establishments and employees in veterinary activities France, **** to ****, in units Source: ****

The geographical distribution of veterinary establishments logically follows the distribution of veterinarians. Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes leads the way, with *** veterinary establishments. Next come Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Ile-de-France and Occitanie, with ***, *** and *** veterinary establishments respectively. Reunion, Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guiana have **, **, ** and * establishments respectively.

3.3 Feeding dogs and cats

In ****, over*.* million tonnes of pet food were manufactured. Nearly **% of pet food production is exported abroad, giving France a surplus of over one billion euros. Investment in research reached *** million euros. Still in ****, *,*** direct jobs depended on this sector. [***]

The graphs below show that industrially prepared food dominates for both species, accounting for **% in the case of dogs and **% in the case of cats. Home-made food is more frequent in dogs (***), as is the mix between the two types of food, which concerns *% of dogs versus only *% of cats. These data indicate greater dietary diversification in dogs, although industrial food remains the norm for both animals.

Dogs' main diet France, ****, in Source: ****

Cats' main diet France, ****, in Source: ****

Large and medium-sized supermarkets (***). However, pet shops are gaining in popularity, as are online purchases, the latter having tripled in less than ten years.

Places of purchase for dog food products France, ****, in Source: ****

Purchasing locations for cat food products France, ****, in % Source: ****

3.4 Related markets

Software and applications for veterinarians

Publishers of veterinary software and applications

Software publishers are responsible for the veterinary software and applications market, from creation to distribution. Here are the essential stages in their activity:

Publishers must also ensure that their products comply with animal health and data protection regulations. They act accordingly to ensure user safety:

There are * main publishers of veterinary software and applications: Digivet and Vétosoft, but they face increasing competition:

Software and applications for veterinarians

Software offers a wide range of functions and formats, from installed software to mobile or tablet applications. Installed software is the central product, bringing together all the tools developed. These tools and functionalities include: statistics, accounting, customer communication, diary, customer and animal files, consultation, prescription, invoicing, stock management and product ordering.

Specialized applications

Alongside these comprehensive, integrated global management software packages, there is also a wide range of highly specialized applications, of which the following are just a few examples:

Health products:

The AIEMV (***) has carried out a study of sales of the following products:

veterinary medicines (***) animal health products not subject to marketing authorization (***).

We use this study as a basis for assessing and understanding the animal health products market.

In ...

4.1 Specializations by animal

Although there are many different types of veterinarians (***), the three most important categories are :

Pet vets, Rural or mixed veterinarians, Equine veterinarians.

Depending on which of these categories they belong to, the tasks performed by vets are radically different.

Source: ****

4.2 Average cost of care

The cost of treatment at a pet vet can vary widely, depending on the task involved. While a consultation costs around ** euros, the removal of a tumor can cost up to *** euros. Prices for specialist vets, however, are more difficult to assess.

Source: ****

to these prices must be added the cost of medication, which is generally high. Veterinarians' margins on the latter are around **%, due to the smaller quantities produced and higher VAT than on human drugs. [***]

Emergency consultations with vets on call are more expensive: up to *** euros per consultation. These high costs can be limited by pet insurance.

However, the costs associated with veterinary care are following an upward trend (***).

Consumer price index for veterinary and other pet services France, ****-****, base *** in **** Source: ****

4.3 Increasingly frequent specialization by veterinarians

Veterinarians are increasingly turning their attention to companion animals. This practice is also increasingly found in cities, as the number of rural veterinarians is declining.[***]

However, this evolution is also accompanied by a growing specialization of veterinarians, a trend noted by the French Ministry of Agriculture. Owners are more and more inclined to take care of their pets' health, and to call on the services of specialist vets, albeit at a higher cost.

This specialization was made possible in **** by the creation of the following two diplomas:

CEFV (***), awarded by the UniLaSalle veterinary school in Rouen. DESV (***).

Since ****, however, veterinary specialists holding the DESV no longer retain their status for life, but for a period of five years, subject to renewal. This five-year renewal requires justification of the "updating of knowledge and skills".

In CHVs (***), their presence has even been mandatory since ****. However, the length of the course and low remuneration are obstacles to the development of this specialization, which uses cutting-edge equipment.

The most represented specialties are currently pet surgery (***). By ****, a total of *** veterinary specialists will be practicing in France. [***]

5.1 Main regulatory aspects of the profession

Codes governing the profession

The veterinary profession is strictly regulated by several codes, the main ones being :

The Rural Code Civil Code The Public Health Code

These obligations govern both the contract implicit between a veterinarian and his patient, and the substances whose use is regulated for veterinarians.

The latest major regulatory development is the updating of laws concerning veterinary medicines, applicable throughout the European Union from January ****. [***] While over-the-counter sales of veterinary medicines are now permitted on the internet, only veterinary surgeons are allowed to prescribe medicines for animals. A database is to be set up to list all medicines authorized on EU territory. It is now easier to import medicines from outside the European Union.

However, certain medicines are prohibitedin order to limit antibiotic resistance in animals. For example, the preventive use of drugs is only permitted in extreme cases. Similarly, imported animals and animal products must comply with the European ban on the use of drugs reserved for humans and the ban on the use of drugs that cause antibiotic resistance. For example, animal feeds containing medical components may only be prescribed for a maximum of two weeks, and may contain no more than one antimicrobial substance. [***]

The ...

6.1 Segmentation

• VetinParis
• Clinique vétérinaire Alliance
• Clinique Vétérinaire des Barques
• CHVE Livet
• CHV Fregis
• Sevetys
• IVC Evidensia France
• Anicura (Mars Petcare)
• Mon Veto
• Vetup
• Vetosoft
• Coveto - MyVet Apps
• Le point vétérinaire
• La dépêche vétérinaire
• Santé Vet - Vetassur
• Dr. Veto /MyVeto
• Vetoquinol
• Virbac
• Centravet groupe - GmVet
• Univet
• Idexx
• Clinique Veterinaire de Bayeux
• Dômes Pharma
• IVC Evidencia
• Animeo
• Tom&co
• Obione