The Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) rankings show a remarkably consistent group of popular pedigreed cat breeds from 2020 through 2025. The Ragdoll led the 2020, 2021, and 2022 rankings, while the Maine Coon moved into first place in 2024 and remained there in 2025. The Devon Rex was the leading shorthair breed in several of the reported rankings.
Contents
- What these rankings measure
- The top 10 in 2020
- How the ranking changed in 2021 and 2022
- The 2024 ranking
- The 2025 ranking
- Leaders and recurring patterns
What these rankings measure
These figures are CFA popularity rankings for pedigreed cat breeds. They are rankings, not population counts, adoption totals, registration totals, or a percentage share of all cats. A breed’s position tells you where it appeared on the CFA list for the stated ranking year; it does not establish how many cats of that breed live in a particular country or region.
The source labels supplied for the rankings are CFA’s Most Popular Breeds for 2021, Most Popular Breeds for 2022, Most Popular Breeds for 2023, Most Popular Breeds for 2025, and Most Popular Breeds for 2026. The first three labels report the 2020, 2021, and 2022 popularity rankings, respectively. The later labels report the 2024 and 2025 rankings. The measurement year and the publication label are therefore not always the same: for example, the 2024 ranking is presented under CFA’s “Most Popular Breeds for 2025” label.
The top 10 in 2020
In CFA’s 2020 popularity rankings, the Ragdoll held first place. The Maine Coon was second, followed by the Exotic in third and the Persian in fourth. The Devon Rex completed the first five positions.
The rest of the 2020 top 10 were the British Shorthair at number six, the Abyssinian at number seven, the American Shorthair at number eight, the Scottish Fold at number nine, and the Sphynx at number 10. CFA identifies the Scottish Fold and Sphynx as being among the pedigreed cats in this ranking.
| 2020 rank | Breed |
|---|---|
| 1 | Ragdoll |
| 2 | Maine Coon |
| 3 | Exotic |
| 4 | Persian |
| 5 | Devon Rex |
| 6 | British Shorthair |
| 7 | Abyssinian |
| 8 | American Shorthair |
| 9 | Scottish Fold |
| 10 | Sphynx |
This first reported list establishes the core pattern visible across the period: Ragdoll and Maine Coon occupied the first two places, while Exotic, Persian, Devon Rex, British Shorthair, Abyssinian, Scottish Fold, and Sphynx made up most of the remaining top positions.
How the ranking changed in 2021 and 2022
The 2021 rankings kept the Ragdoll at number one for the third consecutive year, according to CFA’s Most Popular Breeds for 2022. The Maine Coon stayed at number two. The largest movement among the leading breeds was the Devon Rex rising to number three, making it CFA’s most popular shorthair breed in that ranking. The Exotic moved to fourth and the Persian to fifth.
The British Shorthair remained sixth and the Abyssinian remained seventh. The Scottish Fold moved to eighth, while the Sphynx moved to ninth. The Siberian entered the reported top 10 at number 10. CFA’s supplied ranking also describes the Siberian as having moved from a lower position in an earlier ranking, but the reported source details contain inconsistent year references for that comparison, so the clearest supported figure is its number 10 position in the 2021 ranking.
In 2022, the first five positions matched the 2021 order. CFA listed the Ragdoll at number one for the fourth year in a row, the Maine Coon at number two, the Devon Rex at number three, the Exotic at number four, and the Persian at number five. The British Shorthair was sixth and the Abyssinian seventh.
The Scottish Fold remained eighth and the Sphynx ninth in 2022. The Siberian stayed at number 10. This makes the 2021-to-2022 top 10 especially stable: every breed kept the same position in the reported list.
| Breed | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ragdoll | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Maine Coon | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Devon Rex | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| Exotic | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Persian | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| British Shorthair | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Abyssinian | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| Scottish Fold | 9 | 8 | 8 |
| Sphynx | 10 | 9 | 9 |
| Siberian | — | 10 | 10 |
The 2024 ranking
CFA’s 2024 popularity rankings, published under Most Popular Breeds for 2025, marked a change at the top. The Maine Coon ranked number one and became the top pedigreed cat breed for 2025. The Ragdoll ranked number two, followed by the Persian at number three and the Exotic at number four.
The Devon Rex ranked fifth and was the most popular shorthair breed on the list. The Abyssinian ranked sixth, the British Shorthair seventh, and the Siberian eighth. The Sphynx ranked ninth, while the Russian Blue entered the reported top 10 at number 10.
The 2024 list therefore retained eight breeds from the 2022 top 10 while changing their order in several places. The American Shorthair, which was eighth in the 2020 list, was not among the reported 2024 top 10. The Russian Blue appeared at number 10 in its place in the supplied ranking.
The 2025 ranking
The following CFA list, published under Most Popular Breeds for 2026, kept the Maine Coon at number one. CFA described the breed as holding the top spot for the second year in a row. The Ragdoll remained number two, the Persian number three, and the Exotic number four.
The Devon Rex ranked fifth and held the most popular shorthair title for the past five years, according to CFA’s supplied description. The Abyssinian was sixth and the British Shorthair seventh. The Siberian remained eighth and the Russian Blue remained 10th.
The American Shorthair returned to the reported top 10 at number nine. It was the only breed in the 2025 top 10 that was not also listed in the 2024 top 10. Conversely, the Sphynx, which ranked ninth in 2024, was not among the reported 2025 top 10.
| Rank | 2024 ranking | 2025 ranking |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maine Coon | Maine Coon |
| 2 | Ragdoll | Ragdoll |
| 3 | Persian | Persian |
| 4 | Exotic | Exotic |
| 5 | Devon Rex | Devon Rex |
| 6 | Abyssinian | Abyssinian |
| 7 | British Shorthair | British Shorthair |
| 8 | Siberian | Siberian |
| 9 | Sphynx | American Shorthair |
| 10 | Russian Blue | Russian Blue |
Leaders and recurring patterns
The Ragdoll was the leading breed in all three early rankings reported here. It ranked number one in 2020, number one in 2021, and number one in 2022. CFA specifically described the 2021 result as the Ragdoll’s third consecutive year at the top and the 2022 result as its fourth consecutive year. The supplied facts do not provide the earlier ranking needed to enumerate every year in that run, but they do support the reported consecutive-year descriptions.
The Maine Coon was consistently near the top before taking first place. It ranked number two in 2020, number two in 2021, and number two in 2022. It then ranked number one in 2024 and number one again in 2025. CFA described the 2025 result as the second year in a row at number one.
The Devon Rex shows the clearest rise among the repeatedly ranked breeds. It ranked fifth in 2020, third in 2021, third in 2022, fifth in 2024, and fifth in 2025. CFA identified it as the most popular shorthair breed in the 2021 ranking, the most popular shorthair breed on the 2024 list, and the holder of that title for the past five years in the 2025 ranking.
The middle of the list was also comparatively consistent. The Abyssinian ranked seventh in 2020, 2021, and 2022 before moving to sixth in both 2024 and 2025. The British Shorthair ranked sixth in 2020, 2021, and 2022, then seventh in 2024 and 2025. The Persian shifted from fourth in 2020 to fifth in 2021 and 2022, then climbed to third in 2024 and kept third place in 2025.
The later positions show more turnover. The Scottish Fold appeared at number nine in 2020 and number eight in both 2021 and 2022, but it was not in the reported top 10 for 2024 or 2025. The Sphynx moved from 10th in 2020 to ninth in 2021 and 2022, then ranked ninth in 2024 and fell outside the reported 2025 top 10. The Siberian ranked 10th in 2021 and 2022, rose to eighth in 2024, and stayed eighth in 2025.
The American Shorthair ranked eighth in 2020, was not among the reported 2021, 2022, or 2024 top 10 lists, and returned at number nine in 2025. The Russian Blue was not among the reported earlier top 10 lists and appeared at number 10 in both 2024 and 2025. Taken together, the figures describe a stable upper tier, a persistent Devon Rex presence as the leading shorthair, and modest movement among the final positions of CFA’s reported top 10.