Statistics hub · Updated October 2026

Stray Dog Statistics India 2026: 130+ Data Points on Population, Bites, Rabies and the Law

India counted 1.53 crore stray dogs in the 2019 Livestock Census and recorded 37,15,713 dog bite cases in 2024. Official data logged 54 rabies deaths that year, while an ICMR survey estimates about 5,726 a year. This hub gathers more than 130 cited statistics on population, bites, rabies, sterilisation, court orders, feeding, compensation and shelters.

37,15,713

dog bite cases reported in India in 2024 (IDSP, Lok Sabha Question 4870)

1.53 crore

stray dogs counted in the 2019 Livestock Census

5,726

estimated rabies deaths a year in India (ICMR survey, 2025)

5,19,704

dog bite cases among children under 15 in 2024

70%

sterilisation coverage the Centre asks cities to reach

By the dogeats.in Editorial Team · Published 2026-10-16 · Updated 2026-10-17 · Free to reuse with credit (CC BY 4.0)

192 statistics · 110 sources · 12 charts · 4 tables · every figure checked against its source

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How many stray dogs are there in India?

India counted 1.53 crore stray dogs in the 2019 Livestock Census, and no newer national count has been published. Six states held more than 11 lakh each; our street dog population report has every state.

• 1,53,04,345 stray dogs were counted in the 20th Livestock Census, 2019, the latest national count, summed from its district figures (DAHD, district-wise stray dog data, 2019).
• 20,59,261 stray dogs lived in Uttar Pradesh in 2019, the most of any state (DAHD, Livestock Census 2019 district file).
• 17,34,399 stray dogs were counted in Odisha in 2019, the second highest state total (DAHD, Livestock Census 2019 state totals).
• 1.53 crore is the 2019 stray dog estimate quoted alongside 37,15,713 dog bite cases for 2024 (As reported by The Tribune, Supreme Court suo motu report, July 2025).
• nearly 8 crores is the stray dog figure counsel put before the Supreme Court in 2026, with no survey named (Supreme Court of India, judgment of 19 May 2026).
• 80 million homeless dogs and cats live in India, a 2021 Mars Petcare index estimated (As reported by PTI via Business Today, Mars State of Pet Homelessness Index, 2021).
• 2.4 out of 10 was India's overall score in the same 2021 pet homelessness index (As reported by Business Today, Mars pet homelessness index, 2021).
• 55,000 stray dogs had been counted in Goa by January 2025 in the ongoing livestock census, against an estimate of over 56,000 (As reported by The Goan, January 2025).
• 15 million stray dogs is how Al Jazeera summarised the 2019 count, with Delhi holding 55,462 of them (As reported by Al Jazeera, India stray dog analysis, 2025).

Stray dog population in Indian cities

City counts come from municipal surveys run in different years with different methods, so compare them with care. Our stray dogs by city report sets out each survey.

• 90,757 dogs were estimated across Mumbai in the 2024 BMC survey, 21,000 of them in slums, against 95,172 in 2014 (As reported by OpenCity, BMC dog survey, 2026).
• 930 km of Mumbai's 2,354 km of roads were covered by the 2024 BMC dog survey (As reported by OpenCity, BMC survey method, 2024).
• 2,79,335 stray dogs were counted in Bengaluru by the BBMP survey of 2023 (As reported by PTI via The South First, BBMP dog census, 2023).
• 3.1 lakh street dogs were in Bengaluru in 2019, and the 2023 census showed a 10% drop (As reported by Citizen Matters, BBMP street dog census, 2023).
• 1.81 lakh stray dogs were counted in Chennai in 2024, up from 58,000 in 2018 (As reported by DT Next, Greater Chennai Corporation survey, 2024).
• 3,79,156 dogs were within GHMC limits in Hyderabad, the corporation told the Telangana High Court in 2024 (As reported by Deccan Chronicle, GHMC affidavit, July 2024).
• 4.70 lakh stray dogs live in Hyderabad's core urban region, by official estimates quoted in 2026 (As reported by The Hans India, Hyderabad stray dog estimate, 2026).
• 8,25,313 stray dogs in Delhi is an extrapolation from an unpublished Thinkpaws density study, nearly 15 times the 2019 census figure (As reported by Al Jazeera, Delhi density estimate, 2025).
• 5.6 lakh dogs were counted in Delhi's last official stray dog census, held in 2009 (As reported by The Tribune, MCD sterilisation data, 2025).
• 80,000 stray dogs is the Pune Municipal Corporation estimate reported in August 2026 (As reported by Free Press Journal, Pune stray dog report, 2026).
• 10,761 stray dogs live in Kollam Corporation, one for every 37 residents, a 2026 survey found (As reported by Onmanorama, Kollam Corporation dog survey, 2026).

How many dog bite cases are there in India?

India recorded 37.2 lakh dog bites in 2024, about 10,152 a day. Two official totals exist for that year: 37,15,713 in the IDSP table of Lok Sabha Question 4870 (April 2025) and 37,17,336 in the July 2025 reply. Our dog bite and rabies report explains the gap.

• 37,15,713 dog bite cases were reported in India in 2024, by the IDSP table in Lok Sabha Question 4870 of April 2025 (DAHD, Lok Sabha Unstarred Question 4870, April 2025).
• 37,17,336 dog bite cases and 54 suspected rabies deaths for 2024 appear in the later Lok Sabha reply of 22 July 2025 (Lok Sabha Unstarred Question 286, July 2025).
• 30,43,339 dog bite cases were reported in 2023 (PIB, Lok Sabha reply on stray dog management, August 2024).
• 72,77,523 animal bite cases were logged in 2019, before a sharp fall in 2020 and 2021 (DAHD, Rajya Sabha Question 2822, March 2023).
• 21,95,122 dog bites and 37 deaths were recorded in rural India in 2024 (PIB, Lok Sabha reply on stray animals, February 2025).
• 5,19,704 dog bite cases involved children under 15 in 2024 (PIB, Lok Sabha reply on child dog bites, February 2025).
• 9.1 million animal bites a year in India is the estimate from an ICMR survey of 3,37,808 people (Thangaraj et al, The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 2025).
• 61 percent of dog bites in the ICMR survey involved strays and 39 percent involved pets (As reported by The South First, ICMR dog bite study, 2025).
• 47 lakh of 58 lakh animal bites a year are dog bites, the Health Minister said in March 2026 (As reported by ETV Bharat, Rajya Sabha reply, 2026).
• 46,54,398 anti-rabies shots were given for dog bite cases in 2023, NCDC data showed (As reported by PTI via Business Standard, Lok Sabha reply on dog bites, July 2024).
• Over 21 lakh dog bite incidents and 5 lakh child victims prompted the NHRC to take cognizance in 2025 (As reported by Bar and Bench, NHRC cognizance report, 2025).

Dog bite cases by state in India

Five states reported more than half of India's 2024 dog bites. Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu each passed 4.8 lakh cases.

• 4,85,345 dog bite cases made Maharashtra the top state in 2024 (IDSP data in Lok Sabha Question 4870, 2025).
• 4,80,427 dog bite cases were reported in Tamil Nadu in 2024, second in India (As reported by The Tribune, IDSP state figures, July 2025).
• 3.6 lakh dog bite cases and 42 rabies deaths were recorded in Karnataka in 2024, by state IDSP data (As reported by PTI via The Week, July 2025).
• 2,31,091 dog bite cases were logged in Karnataka from 1 January to 30 June 2025 (As reported by PTI via The Week, Karnataka health department, 2025).
• 1,54,017 dog bite cases were reported in Mumbai in 2025 (As reported by Free Press Journal, BMC dog bite data, 2026).
• Over 1.28 lakh people were bitten by stray dogs in Mumbai in 2024, the Maharashtra government said (As reported by PTI via Deccan Herald, Maharashtra Assembly reply, 2025).
• 30,613 people in Pune needed anti-rabies shots after dog bites in 2025, up from 16,561 in 2022 (As reported by The Karbhari, Pune Municipal Corporation data, 2026).
• 18,140 dog bites were logged in Bengaluru from January to May 2026, against 11,647 a year earlier (As reported by Deccan Herald, Bengaluru dog bites, June 2026).
• 3.69 lakh people were bitten by dogs in Kerala in 2025, Kerala Kaumudi reported (As reported by Kerala Kaumudi, Kerala dog bite data, 2026).
• 50,870 stray dog bites were recorded in Thiruvananthapuram district in 2024, the most in Kerala (As reported by Onmanorama, Kerala district bite data, 2025).
• four-year-old boy killed by stray dogs in Hyderabad in February 2023 prompted a Telangana High Court suo motu case (As reported by The News Minute, Telangana High Court, February 2023).

How many people die of rabies in India?

Official surveillance logged 54 suspected rabies deaths in 2024 and a separate IHIP count logged 180, while an ICMR survey estimates about 5,726 a year. The first two count reported deaths and the third is a modelled national estimate. Our dog attack deaths report covers fatal maulings separately.

• 54 human rabies deaths were reported to IDSP in 2024, up from 21 in 2022 (DAHD, Lok Sabha Question 4870, Annexure II, 2025).
• 180 deaths among 1,079 presumptive human rabies cases were logged on IHIP in 2024, a separate count from the 54 suspected deaths (Lok Sabha Unstarred Question 2663, August 2025).
• 5726 human rabies deaths a year is the ICMR survey estimate, with a range of 3967 to 7350 (Thangaraj et al, Lancet Infectious Diseases, 2025).
• 286 people died due to dog bites in 2023, the government told the Lok Sabha in July 2024 (As reported by PTI via Business Standard, Lok Sabha reply, July 2024).
• 36% of the world's rabies deaths occur in India, the WHO estimate cited in the national action plan (NCDC, National Action Plan for Dog Mediated Rabies Elimination).
• 59 000 human rabies deaths a year worldwide is the WHO estimate (WHO, Rabies vaccines position paper, 2018).
• 99% of human rabies cases are caused by dog bites and scratches, says WHO (WHO, Rabies fact sheet).
• 40% of global rabies deaths are children under 15, WHO says (WHO, Rabies fact sheet).
• 26 rabies deaths were recorded in Kerala in 2024, after 27 in 2022 and 25 in 2023 (As reported by Onmanorama, Kerala DHS rabies deaths, 2025).
• 22 confirmed and 4 probable rabies deaths were logged in Kerala in 2024 (DHS Kerala, IDSP annual data 2024).
• 74.8 percent of suspected rabid dogs tested in the ICMR study were positive for rabies (As reported by The South First, ICMR rabies study, 2025).
• 19 (76%) of 25 dog brain samples tested in Puducherry were rabies positive (Frontiers in Veterinary Science, Puducherry study, 2025).
• 168 of 300 dog samples tested by Kerala's Animal Husbandry department were positive for rabies, Onmanorama reported in 2022 (As reported by Onmanorama, Kerala rabies testing, 2022).
• 121 of 209 animal samples in Goa tested positive by the gold-standard dFT method (Yale et al, Viruses, 2019).
• Rs 2.96 crore over three years was approved in 2026 for a Goa rabies scheme run with Mission Rabies (As reported by The Goan, June 2026).
• 1,68,878 dogs were vaccinated against rabies in Tamil Nadu from January to July 2026 (As reported by DT Next, Tamil Nadu stray dog drive, July 2026).

Anti-rabies vaccine access and dog vaccination in India

Anti-rabies vaccine is free in public facilities, yet one in five bite victims in the ICMR survey got none. Rabies immunoglobulin was stocked in about one public facility in five.

• 20.5% of dog bite victims in the ICMR survey got no anti-rabies vaccine (ICMR survey, Lancet Infectious Diseases, 2025).
• 76.8 per cent of animal bites in the ICMR survey were dog bites, three in every four (As reported by DT Next, Lancet study report, January 2025).
• Rs 800 per dog is the most the Centre now pays SPCAs and local bodies for each ABC surgery (PIB, Lok Sabha reply on ABC funding, August 2025).
• 79.7% of 467 public health facilities surveyed had anti-rabies vaccine in stock (Krishna et al, Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia, 2025).
• 20.3% of public facilities had rabies immunoglobulin, and only 5.9% of primary centres (ICMR facility survey, Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia, 2025).
• 25.8% of facilities with vaccine reported at least one complete stockout in the past year (Krishna et al, ARV and RIG availability study, 2025).
• 284 model anti-rabies clinics had been set up by July 2026, and the 15400 rabies helpline ran in five states (Lok Sabha Starred Question 82, July 2026).
• Rs 1,423.41 lakh was approved in 2024-25 for 80.19 lakh animal anti-rabies vaccine doses under ASCAD (Lok Sabha Unstarred Question 286, July 2025).
• Rs 719.73 lakh bought 127.37 lakh animal rabies vaccine doses over three financial years (PIB, Lok Sabha reply on stray dogs, August 2024).
• 26 states and UTs had made human rabies a notifiable disease by February 2025 (PIB, Lok Sabha reply, February 2025).
• 29 million people worldwide receive human rabies vaccine each year (WHO, Rabies key facts).
• 1% of street dogs and 16% of pet dogs in Chandigarh had protective rabies antibodies in a 2011 study (Singh et al, Tropical Animal Health and Production, 2011).
• 125 of 250 vaccinated free-roaming dogs in Bengaluru had a protective antibody titre (Das et al, Viruses, 2022).
• 97,277 of about 1,37,353 Goa dogs were vaccinated in 2017; human rabies deaths fell from 17 in 2014 to zero by 2018 (Gibson et al, Nature Communications 2022).
• Over 61,000 dogs were vaccinated against rabies in Goa by the Mission Rabies team in 2024 (Mission Rabies, Goa programme update, 2024).
• 1.33 crore vials of human anti-rabies vaccine were procured by 36 states and UTs in 2024, and 1.26 crore were used (Lok Sabha Unstarred Question 1041, July 2025).

Animal Birth Control (ABC) sterilisation statistics

The Centre wants at least 70% of stray dogs sterilised, but Mumbai and Chennai fall short in their latest surveys. Our ABC sterilisation coverage report tracks the money and the gaps.

• 70% of stray dogs must be sterilised, a joint central advisory of 16 July 2025 told urban local bodies (PIB, Lok Sabha reply on stray dogs, August 2025).
• 24.53 Lakhs dogs were sterilised in the three financial years to 2024, states reported (PIB, Lok Sabha reply, August 2024).
• Rs.24.4 lakhs in AWBI birth control grants in 2018-19 fell to NIL from 2021 to 2024 (PIB, Rajya Sabha reply on dog shelters, March 2025).
• four days of post-operative kennel care is the minimum after sterilisation under the ABC Rules, 2023 (AWBI, Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023).
• 4.8 lakh stray dogs were sterilised by the MCD in Delhi over six years to 2025 (As reported by The Tribune, MCD RTI data, August 2025).
• 49,424 stray dogs were sterilised and 52,457 vaccinated in Delhi in six months of 2026, MCD told the High Court (As reported by The Tribune, August 2026).
• 45,000 stray dogs a year is BMC's sterilisation target, with about Rs 23 crore set aside (As reported by Free Press Journal, BMC sterilisation plan, 2026).
• 62.9% of Mumbai's street dogs were sterilised in the 2024 survey, and sterilisation fell in 18 of 24 wards since 2014 (As reported by OpenCity, Mumbai sterilisation status, 2026).
• 71.85 per cent of Bengaluru's street dogs were neutered in 2023, up from 51.16 per cent in 2019 (As reported by PTI via Deccan Herald, BBMP survey, 2023).
• 27 percent of Chennai's stray dogs were sterilised at the 2024 survey (As reported by DT Next, Chennai dog survey, 2024).
• 73,601 dogs were sterilised by GHMC in Hyderabad in 2021-22, then 47,874 and 51,887 in the next two years (As reported by Siasat, GHMC sterilisation data, 2024).
• 84% of Lucknow's street dogs were sterilised and vaccinated by 2025, a Humane World for Animals survey found (Humane World for Animals, Lucknow survey, 2025).
• 83% sterilisation coverage was reached in Kollam Corporation by 2026 (As reported by Onmanorama, Kollam survey, September 2026).
• 61.8 to 86.5% of Jodhpur's free-roaming dogs were sterilised and vaccinated by 2007 (Totton et al, Preventive Veterinary Medicine, 2010).
• 52,995 stray dogs were sterilised in Kerala from November 2024 to September 2025 (As reported by Onmanorama, Kerala ABC data, November 2025).

Supreme Court stray dog orders, 2025 to 2026

The Supreme Court took up stray dogs on its own in July 2025, changed course within weeks, and delivered its judgment on 19 May 2026. Our Supreme Court orders tracker lists every direction and deadline.

• 28 July 2025 is when the Supreme Court took suo motu notice of a news report on dog bites and rabies (As reported by Supreme Court Observer, 2026).
• 5,000 dogs was the first shelter capacity Delhi was told to create within six to eight weeks (Supreme Court of India, order of 11 August 2025, 2025 INSC 977).
• around 5,000 canines was the shelter start Delhi was told to build, with capacity to grow over time (As reported by Deccan Chronicle, Supreme Court shelter order, August 2025).
• 5,000 to 6,000 dogs is the shelter range Scroll reported from the 11 August 2025 hearing (As reported by Scroll, Supreme Court order report, August 2025).
• 7 days was the time interveners got to deposit Rs. 25,000 or Rs. 2,00,000 under the 22 August 2025 order (As reported by SCC Online Blog, 22 August 2025 order).
• Rs 25,000 for individuals and Rs 2 lakh for NGOs was the deposit set on 22 August 2025 for interveners (As reported by IANS, Supreme Court modified order, August 2025).
• 22 August 2025 is when a three-judge bench let sterilised, vaccinated dogs go back, but not rabid or aggressive dogs (As reported by IANS, Supreme Court modified order, August 2025).
• Rs.22,000 crores a year for food alone was the cost submitted to the court for relocating dogs on the scale first envisaged (Supreme Court of India, judgment, 19 May 2026).
• 29 January 2026 is when the Supreme Court reserved judgment on pleas to modify its stray dog orders (As reported by ETV Bharat, judgment reserved report, January 2026).
• 3 Nov 2025: the Supreme Court let all dog bite victims intervene without paying a deposit (As reported by LiveLaw, victims allowed to intervene, November 2025).
• Rs. 33.98 crores of administrative approval for stray dog work was reported by Chhattisgarh to its High Court in July 2026 (Chhattisgarh High Court order sheet, 20 July 2026).
• 1212 local bodies in Kerala were made parties to a High Court suo motu case and must report monthly (As reported by LiveLaw, Kerala High Court monthly compliance, September 2026).
• 15 days is how often the Bombay High Court said it would hear its stray dog case (As reported by LiveLaw, August 2026).
• 5,000 stray dogs from high-risk areas were to be captured first under the 11 August 2025 order (As reported by Gulf News, Supreme Court Delhi order, August 2025).

Stray dog feeding rules, cruelty law and feeding points in India

Feeding street dogs is lawful at designated spots fixed under Rule 20 of the ABC Rules, 2023, and the Supreme Court barred feeding on open streets in August 2025. Our feeding rules guide covers fines and society rules.

• 735 designated feeding points were identified across all 250 Delhi wards by January 2026 (As reported by The Tribune, MCD feeding points, January 2026).
• 14 of 292 feeding spots identified in Delhi were working in November 2025 (As reported by The Tribune, Delhi feeding spots, November 2025).
• 03.03.2021 is the date of the AWBI advisory asking every district to identify enough feeding spots for stray dogs (AWBI, advisory on feeding spots, 2021).
• Rule 20 of the ABC Rules, 2023 gives a local committee the final say on fixing feeding points (Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023, Rule 20).
• 1,500 designated feeding points were planned in Noida residential societies in 2025 (As reported by Daily Jagran, Noida feeding points, September 2025).
• 75 dedicated feeding points were planned across Patna in 2026 (As reported by Patna Press, Patna civic body plan, 2026).
• 90 feeding spots were identified in all 43 wards of the Bengaluru Central corporation in 2026 (As reported by Awaz The Voice, Bengaluru feeding spots, 2026).
• 310 feeding spots were identified by Bengaluru's East (150), Central (90) and North (70) corporations by February 2026 (As reported by NewsFirst Prime, Bengaluru corporations, 2026).
• Rs 5,000 is the Mira-Bhayandar fine for feeding strays outside its 20 designated spots (As reported by Free Press Journal, MBMC feeding fine, 2026).
• June 24, 2021 is the date of the Delhi High Court feeding judgment the Supreme Court stayed in 2022 (As reported by Verdictum, Supreme Court stay, March 2022).
• Rs 20 lakh was set aside by Chandigarh's civic body for dog bite compensation in 2024-25 (As reported by The Tribune, Chandigarh civic budget, March 2024).
• five years in jail is the maximum for killing, poisoning or maiming an animal under Section 325 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (Ministry of Home Affairs, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023).
• ten rupees to fifty rupees is the fine for a first cruelty offence under Section 11 of the 1960 Act (PCA Act, 1960 text, Maharashtra Police).

Dog bite compensation in India by state and court

Dog bite compensation is set by states and courts, so the amount depends on where the bite happened and how bad it was. Our dog bite compensation guide explains how to claim.

• Rs.20,000 per 0.2 cm of torn wound and Rs 10,000 per tooth mark is the Punjab and Haryana HC minimum (As reported by LiveLaw, November 2023).
• Rs 2,50,000 ex gratia was awarded by the Delhi High Court in Geeta Devi v GNCTD in September 2024 (Delhi High Court, Geeta Devi v GNCTD judgment, September 2024).
• Rs 5 lakh is paid for a stray dog bite death in Greater Bengaluru, under a Karnataka order of 19 November 2025 (As reported by The News Minute, November 2025).
• Rs 5,000 goes to people injured by stray dogs in Greater Bengaluru, with Rs 3,500 paid to the victim (As reported by NewsKarnataka, Karnataka compensation rules, 2025).
• Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh is Haryana's age-based relief for a death or 70% disability from stray animals or dog bites (As reported by The Tribune, November 2023).
• 171 of 184 decided claims in Chandigarh were found eligible, and victims were paid Rs 28.30 lakh (As reported by The Tribune, Chandigarh claims panel, August 2025).
• Rs 63.59 lakh was awarded to 34 victims in the Siri Jagan committee's 41st report in Kerala (As reported by Onmanorama, Siri Jagan committee award, August 2024).
• 5700 compensation applications had reached the Siri Jagan committee by 2023, with 749 decided (As reported by Onmanorama, Siri Jagan committee status, June 2023).
• Rs 10,000 compensation against a panchayat was upheld by the Kerala High Court in July 2026 (As reported by LiveLaw, Kerala High Court on panchayat liability, 2026).
• 52,000 was awarded to a Kozhikode woman in 2026 for a 2014 dog bite, 12 years later (As reported by Onmanorama, Kozhikode compensation award, 2026).
• 2016 is when the Supreme Court set up the Siri Jagan committee on Kerala dog bite claims (As reported by PTI via The News Minute, April 2016).

Dog shelters and adoption numbers in India

Shelter space is tiny next to the street population, and some shelters sit nearly empty. In Chhattisgarh, 199 shelters held 254 dogs against room for 4,340.

• 199 dog shelters with a capacity of 4,340 held only 254 dogs in Chhattisgarh in July 2026 (Chhattisgarh High Court, compliance order, July 2026).
• 1,500 dogs is the planned capacity of the MCD shelter in Dwarka for aggressive and biting dogs (As reported by The Tribune, August 2026).
• Rs 15 lakh is the most AWBI gives for a small animal shelter, against Rs 27 lakh for large animals (PIB, Lok Sabha reply on stray dogs, August 2025).
• 15,46,941 educational institutions were cited in court as needing to be cleared of dogs, at about 10 dogs each (Supreme Court judgment, 19 May 2026).
• 105885 adoptions have been facilitated by Blue Cross of India since 1959 (Blue Cross of India, adoption page).
• 20 to 25 dogs a month were adopted into new homes through CUPA in Bengaluru in 2020-21 (CUPA, Annual Report 2020-21).
• 50 per cent of current and past pet owners in India had given up a pet, a 2021 Mars index found (As reported by PTI via Business Today, 2021).
• 4 dog shelters were running in Noida in August 2025, in Sectors 34, 50, 93 and Phase 2, an official said (As reported by PTI via The Week, August 2025).
• About 4,150 stray dogs were sterilised in Greater Noida from March 2024 to March 2025 (As reported by PTI via The Week, Greater Noida data, 2025).
• about 1,000 dogs is the shelter space Bengaluru's GBA had, against over 3,000 dogs its survey found needing shelter (As reported by Deccan Herald, GBA shelter survey, December 2025).
• Rs 39,98,350 in AWBI shelter grants went to 28 groups in 2024-25, down from Rs 4,45,00,000 to 296 groups in 2022-23 (Lok Sabha Unstarred Question 275, December 2025).

Kerala stray dog statistics

Kerala's own health data counted 26 rabies deaths in 2024, while the national IDSP table showed 3. Our Kerala stray dogs report has district figures.

• 9 lakh stray dogs roam Kerala by a November 2025 Animal Husbandry Department estimate, up from about 7 lakh in a 2019-20 count (As reported by Onmanorama, November 2025).
• 957.55 per cent was the rise in Kerala's animal rabies vaccine spending from 2016-17 to 2024-25, while deaths did not fall (As reported by Onmanorama, Kerala vaccine spending, September 2025).
• 15 of 57 stray dog samples tested in Thiruvananthapuram in 2024 were positive for rabies (As reported by Kerala Kaumudi, Thiruvananthapuram samples, September 2024).
• 29 confirmed and 4 probable rabies deaths were recorded in Kerala in 2025 (DHS Kerala, communicable disease data 2025).
• 1,31,244 dog bite cases were reported in Kerala between January and April 2025, the state health department said (As reported by The South First, Kerala health department, July 2025).
• July 2025: the Kerala government permitted euthanasia of diseased stray dogs under the Animal Husbandry Rules (As reported by The South First, Kerala euthanasia decision, July 2025).
• 5 rabies deaths were recorded in Kerala in 2016, against 26 in 2024 (As reported by Onmanorama, Kerala DHS series 2016 to 2024).
• 122 people died of rabies in Kerala from 2021 to 2025, with deaths rising from 11 to 33 (As reported by Kerala Kaumudi, five-year rabies data, 2026).
• 17 confirmed and 8 probable rabies deaths were recorded in Kerala in 2023 (DHS Kerala, IDSP state data 2023).
• 15 confirmed and 12 probable rabies deaths were recorded in Kerala in 2022 (DHS Kerala, communicable disease data 2022).
• July 2025: the Kerala High Court deferred the state move to euthanise stray dogs (As reported by LiveLaw, Kerala High Court deferral, July 2025).

Frequently asked questions

Methodology and limitations

This hub compiles statistics published between 2010 and October 2026, most from 2024 to 2026. Every bullet links the page that holds the number, and each figure was matched against that page on 15 to 16 October 2026 and checked again on 17 October 2026. Compiled 16 October 2026.

We cite the original publisher first: Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha replies, PIB releases, DAHD and AWBI documents, court orders, state health data and peer-reviewed papers. DAHD moved to a new website in 2026 and its old file links no longer open. We cite the Lok Sabha copy on sansad.in or an Internet Archive copy instead.

Where a figure exists only in a news report, such as a municipal survey or a state minister's reply, the bullet names the outlet ("as reported by", or "PTI via"). Company and advocacy estimates, such as the Mars Petcare index, are labelled as estimates. We dropped any figure whose page we could not open or whose number we could not find on it.

State totals for 2019 were summed by dogeats.in from the 710 district rows of the DAHD file. Day counts in the court timeline chart are our calculation from order dates. We update this hub monthly.

Sources

1. Lok Sabha (Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying), Unstarred Question 4870 with IDSP/IHIP annexures (2025), Lok Sabha Unstarred Question 4870, answered 1 April 2025 (earlier cited at dahd.gov.in, now 404)
2. Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, 20th Livestock Census district-wise stray dogs (xlsx), Internet Archive copy (2019), DAHD file moved off dahd.gov.in in 2026; Archive snapshot of 2 December 2024
3. The Lancet Infectious Diseases (ICMR-NIE), Estimates of the burden of human rabies deaths and animal bites in India, 2022-23 (2025), Thangaraj et al, The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 2025
4. Also consulted: Lok Sabha (Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying), Unstarred Question 275, Rabies by dogs (2025), Lok Sabha (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare), Unstarred Question 1041, Death due to rabies (2025), Lok Sabha (Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying), Unstarred Question 2663, Stray dog menace (2025), Lok Sabha (Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying), Unstarred Question 286, Stray dogs (2025), The Tribune, SC takes suo motu note of fatal stray dog attacks (2025), Supreme Court of India, Judgment, Suo Motu WP(C) 5 of 2025 (2026), Mars Petcare (via PTI, Business Today), State of Pet Homelessness Index India (2021), The Goan, Govt survey counts 56k stray dogs (2025), Al Jazeera, Does India have a stray dog epidemic? (2025), OpenCity (BMC survey data), Mumbai street dogs survey (2024), PTI via The South First, BBMP stray dog survey (2023), Citizen Matters, BBMP street dog census (2023), DT Next, Greater Chennai Corporation dog survey (2024), Deccan Chronicle, GHMC yet to follow up on dog bite incidents (2024), The Hans India, Official apathy, understaffing adding to GHMC woes (2026), The Tribune, 4.8 lakh strays sterilised in past six years: MCD (2025), Free Press Journal, Pune records 24,803 dog bite cases in 7 months (2026), Onmanorama, Kollam Corporation stray dog survey (2026), Press Information Bureau, Lok Sabha reply, 6 August 2024 (2024), Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Rajya Sabha Unstarred Question 2822, Internet Archive copy (2023), Press Information Bureau, Lok Sabha reply, 4 February 2025 (2025), The South First, Six out of 1,000 Indians suffer dog bite (2025), ETV Bharat, No shortage of anti-rabies vaccine, says Nadda (2026), Business Standard, Nearly 3 mn dog bite cases reported in 2023 (2024), Bar and Bench, 5 lakh child victims of dog bites in 2024: NHRC takes cognizance (2025), PTI via The Week, Over 2.3 lakh dog bite cases in Karnataka (2025), Free Press Journal, Mumbai records 1.54 lakh dog bite cases in 2025 (2026), PTI via Deccan Herald, Stray dogs bit over 1.28 lakh people in Mumbai in 2024 (2025), The Karbhari, Pune stray dogs: increase in dog bite cases (2026), Deccan Herald, Dog bites in Bengaluru surge 55% year on year (2026), Kerala Kaumudi, Stray dogs making life in Kerala unbearable (2026), Onmanorama, Stray dog bites and rabies rise in Kerala (2025), National Centre for Disease Control, National Action Plan for Dog Mediated Rabies Elimination by 2030 (2021), World Health Organization, Rabies vaccines: WHO position paper (2018), World Health Organization, Rabies fact sheet (2024), Onmanorama (Kerala DHS data), Kerala rabies vaccine expense spikes 958% (2025), Directorate of Health Services, Kerala, IDSP Annual Data 2024 (2024), Frontiers in Veterinary Science, Puducherry rabies diagnosis study (2025), Onmanorama, Massive rise in rabies cases in Kerala (2022), Viruses (MDPI), Evaluation of an immunochromatographic assay as a canine rabies surveillance tool (2019), DT Next, Lancet study estimates three in every four animal bites due to dogs (2025), Press Information Bureau, Lok Sabha reply, 19 August 2025 (2025), The Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia, Availability of anti-rabies vaccine and rabies immunoglobulin in India (2025), Lok Sabha (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare), Starred Question 82, Shortage of anti-rabies vaccine (2026), Tropical Animal Health and Production, Prevalence of rabies antibodies in street and household dogs in Chandigarh (2011), Viruses (MDPI), Comparative evaluation of rabies virus antibody estimation (2022), Nature Communications, Elimination of human rabies in Goa, India (2022), Press Information Bureau, Rajya Sabha reply, 26 March 2025 (2025), Animal Welfare Board of India, Animal Birth Control Rules, 2023 (2023), The Tribune, 52,457 stray dogs vaccinated, 49,424 sterilised in six months (2026), Free Press Journal, BMC plans sterilisation of 45,000 stray dogs annually (2026), PTI via Deccan Herald, Bengaluru has nearly 2.8 lakh stray dogs (2023), Siasat Daily, GHMC sterilizes over 80 percent street dogs (2024), Humane World for Animals, 84 percent of Lucknow street dogs sterilized, vaccinated (2025), Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Stray dog population demographics in Jodhpur (2010), Onmanorama, 9 lakh stray dogs on Kerala's streets (2025), Supreme Court Observer, What did the Supreme Court hold on the stray dogs matter? (2026), Supreme Court of India, In Re City Hounded by Strays, order of 11 August 2025, 2025 INSC 977 (2025), Deccan Chronicle, SC orders stray dogs to be placed in shelters (2025), Scroll, SC directs Delhi to shift street dogs to shelters (2025), SCC Online Blog, Supreme Court stray dogs order of 22 August 2025 (2025), IANS, SC relaxes too harsh directions on stray dogs (2025), ETV Bharat, SC reserves verdict on pleas on stray dogs (2026), LiveLaw, Supreme Court allows all victims to intervene without monetary deposit (2025), High Court of Chhattisgarh (via LiveLaw), WPPIL 34 of 2026 order sheet (2026), LiveLaw, Kerala High Court calls for monthly compliance report (2026), The Tribune, MCD identifies 735 stray dog feeding spots (2026), The Tribune, Only 14 of 292 dog feeding spots functional (2025), Animal Welfare Board of India, Advisory to identify feeding spots for stray dogs (2021), Daily Jagran, Noida to build 1,500 designated feeding points (2025), Patna Press, Patna civic body to set up 75 feeding points (2026), Awaz The Voice, Bengaluru civic body identifies spots for stray dog feeding (2026), NewsFirst Prime, Bengaluru corporations identify 240 feeding spots (2026), Free Press Journal, Activist opposes MBMC 5,000 fine for feeding strays (2026), Verdictum, Supreme Court stays Delhi HC order on feeding of stray dogs (2022), The Tribune, Chandigarh civic body earmarks Rs 20 lakh for dog bite compensation (2024), LiveLaw, Punjab and Haryana High Court orders minimum compensation per tooth mark (2023), Delhi High Court (via Verdictum), Geeta Devi v GNCTD (2024), The News Minute, Bengaluru govt increases relief to Rs 5 lakh (2025), NewsKarnataka, Karnataka revises compensation rules for stray dog bite victims (2025), The Tribune, Now, up to Rs 5 lakh relief for death, disability (2023), The Tribune, Of 495 claim applications, panel settles 184 (2025), Onmanorama, Stray dog attack: Kerala to give Rs 63.5 lakh to 34 victims (2024), Onmanorama, Siri Jagan committee stalled (2023), LiveLaw, Panchayats liable for breach of statutory duty (2026), Onmanorama, Kozhikode woman awarded 52,000 after 12 years (2026), The News Minute (PTI), SC forms panel to examine complaints of dog bites in Kerala (2016), Blue Cross of India, Adopt and Foster (2026), Compassion Unlimited Plus Action, Annual Report 2020-21 (2020-21), PTI via The Week, Noida, Greater Noida authorities ready to implement SC order (2025), Kerala Kaumudi, Stray dog samples in Thiruvananthapuram test positive (2024), Directorate of Health Services, Kerala, Communicable disease data 2025 (2025), The South First, Kerala reports over 1.3 lakh dog bite cases in four months (2025), The South First, Kerala government permits euthanasia of diseased stray dogs (2025), Directorate of Health Services, Kerala, IDSP state data 2023 (2023), Directorate of Health Services, Kerala, Communicable disease data 2022 (2022), LiveLaw, Kerala High Court defers government move to euthanise stray dogs (2025), Mission Rabies, Goa rabies control (2024), The Goan, State approves new rabies control scheme (2026), DT Next, Tamil Nadu aims to achieve stray dog control target by year end (2026), The News Minute, Telangana HC takes up suo motu hearing (2023), Ministry of Home Affairs, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (2023), Maharashtra Police (Act text), The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 (1960), LiveLaw, Bombay High Court: aggressively implement ABC Rules (2026), Gulf News, India top court orders stray dogs removed from New Delhi streets (2025), Deccan Herald, Bengaluru stray dog numbers triple as GBA hunts for space (2025).

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