In four surveys carried out between during 2024, approximately **** percent of people in the U.S. aged between 18 and 19 said they were following a vegan diet. The share of vegans among respondents aged between 40 and 49 was at ***** percent. Veganism in the U.S. Consumers who follow a vegan diet do not eat or drink any products derived either wholly or partly from animals. Besides moral concerns about animal welfare, there are many other reasons for only consuming vegan products. The second most common reason for becoming vegan or pursuing a non-meat diet is to have a healthier diet. Meat-substitute products in the United States The main reasons for eating meat-substitutes are that consumers consider them healthier than meat products, or think that they benefit the environment. Nearly ** percent of surveyed consumers in the U.S. are consuming meat-substitute products once a month or more often. About ** percent of Americans have increased their consumption of protein by eating more meat substitutes.

More and more consumers are adopting vegetarian and vegan diets in the United States. Where only 2.5 percent of Americans over the age of 50 consider themselves vegetarian, 7.5 percent of Millennials and Gen Z have given up meat. The same goes for veganism, where the younger generations have taken on the diet at nearly double the rate of older Americans.

Plant-based diets

A vegetarian diet is one which excludes the consumption of meat and in some cases animal-derived foods such as eggs and milk. A vegan diet is characterized by abstaining from the consumption of all animal products, which can extend to products like honey as well. People who adopt these diets do so for either ethical, dietary, environmental concerns, or a combination of all three. While there are health benefits attributed to these diets, primarily a lower incidence of heart disease, they must be carefully constructed in order to receive the nutrients that are normally ingested from animal products. A recent survey of Millennial American consumers showed that the purported health benefits of a meat-free diet was the main reason for adopting a vegetarian or vegan diet.

Plant-based food sales

Sales of plant-based foods experienced rapid growth in 2018. Compared to the previous year, plant-based meals sales grew by 28 percent and meat alternatives by 24 percent. The sales values of these categories were worth 210 million and 670 million dollars respectively. Milk alternatives are still the highest selling segment of plant-based foods, valued at 1.6 billion dollars in 2018.

Vegan Statistics: As they say, what we eat today decides our personality and future. If we are consuming healthy food, then our life expectancy increases. In the era of the pandemic, it is necessary to follow some kind of diet to keep the body healthy and increase immunity. Around the world, there are various types of vegans. Looking at the current number of vegans, it is expected that The Vegan Food market will increase at CAGR 6.4% by reaching $36.3 billion by 2030. Check out these interesting Vegan Statistics gathered with current insights from around the globe. Editor’s Choice In 2022, around 629,000 people have signed up for Veganuary from around the world. Out of which, 21% of the people participated for personal health reasons. By 2025, it is expected that the global Vegan market is expected to reach more than $22 billion. The year 2022 recorded 3x more growth in plant-based food sales compared to other years. Furthermore, in 2022, around 2 million Americans were completely following a vegan-based lifestyle. As of 2022, Asia Pacific was the largest market for Vegan foods and other products which was followed by Western Europe. Vegan Statistics show that 67% of Vegan diet followers are females while only 33% are males. 3% of the people started following the diet because they were influenced by some film. Studies show that African Americans are 48% more likely to shift to a Vegan lifestyle, whereas it is 46% for Asian Americans. Around the world, 40% of Vegan products were cheaper than regular products in the market. A household with a Vegan lifestyle spends 8% less on groceries compared to non-vegan households. Vegan Statistics state that, if the world decided to go Vegan then global farmland will be reduced by 75%. Vegan items are costlier at supermarkets compared to non-vegan items. The ingredients decide the cost of the total vegan food. Consumable vegan food requires around 300 gallons of water every day for production. According to Vegan Statistics, India ranks top for having the highest number of vegans as of 2022 resulting in 13%. The global dairy alternatives market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 16.7% by 2025. In the United States of America, around 1 million people have become vegan. Eating plant-based food lowers the gender-specific cancer rate by 34% in women. As of June 2022, Vegan Statistics state that in all generations, the number of vegetarians is more than vegans. If everyone converts to vegan, the greenhouse gases would be reduced by 70%, which would save $608 billion in economic value by 2050.

According to a survey conducted among people who took part in Veganuary worldwide in 2023, approximately 25 percent of respondents intended to continue eating a vegan diet after Veganuary, compared to around seven percent who did not intend to do so. The share of those who did not maintain a Vegan diet during the month rose from 2021 to 2023 by 25 percent.

In 2024, around **** percent of responding German consumers between 18 and 64 years of age followed a vegan diet. In Brazil, China, Mexico, and the U.S., between two and **** percent of respondents ate vegan diets. The noteworthy standout is India, where about ******* of respondents said they typically follow a vegan diet. The survey was carried out in four quarterly waves among online users. Veganism in the European Union The share of adults following a vegan diet in the European Union (EU) varies considerably among the different generations. According to a recent survey, Gen Z had the highest share of vegans in the EU, with approximately **** percent. In comparison, among Generation X and the Baby Boomers, the share of vegans was only *** percent. In general, the share of vegans in the EU tends to be higher among younger generations. The number of vegans in the EU is forecast to grow from about *** million in 2023 to almost *** million by 2033. Veganism in Germany Germany has a particularly high share of young adults who are vegan or vegetarian, as compared to other European countries. Approximately *** and ****** percent of young adults in Germany classify themselves as vegan or vegetarian, respectively. Moreover, being vegan in Germany has become considerably easier over the years. The number of vegan restaurants in Germany has almost ********** throughout the last decade, adjusting to the growing demand for alternatives to animal products. While there were only *** purely vegan restaurants in 2014, a total of *** vegan restaurants were counted in 2024. The growing demand for animal alternatives can also be observed in the production volume of vegetarian and vegan meat substitutes in Germany. The volume of vegetarian and vegan meat substitutes produced has grown from approximately ****** tons in 2019 to about ******* tons in 2023.

In 2025, about **** percent of responding 20 to 29-year-olds in the United Kingdom stated that they followed a vegan diet. Respondents under fifty were **** likely to be vegans than those over. With small shares of the population, it is often difficult to track the number of actual vegans, as an error of only one percent in a survey can significantly change the size of the expected vegan population. Veganism worldwide Global interest in veganism has increased during the last decades. In January 2022, Just under 630 thousand people participated in Veganuary, a global campaign to get people to only eat vegan food during January, led by a British non-profit organization. By comparison, the figure was ***** in 2016. According to a survey, India has the largest share of vegans worldwide, as about ** percent of the population follows a vegan diet. India is followed by China and the United States (U.S.), where the share of vegans is approximately * and * percent, respectively. Veganism in the UK Wales, Scotland, and London are the regions where more consumers than in the rest of the country want to participate in Veganuary. In Wales, the share of survey respondents that said it wanted to try to follow a vegan diet was ***** percent. In the other two regions it was *** percent. The south of England showed the least interest overall. The interest in Veganuary is especially high among the youngest consumers, as ** percent of 18 to 24-year-olds have decided to take part in the challenge and live a vegan lifestyle for the entire month. The share of vegans in the United Kingdom (UK) varies among regions. The largest share of vegans in the UK can be found in London, at **** percent. The share of vegans in Scotland is approximately * percent. As with interest in Veganuary, the South brings up the rear.

According to a survey conducted among people who took part in Veganuary worldwide in 2023, nearly half of the respondents intended to reduce their consumption of animal products by at least three quarters or more after Veganuary. Only one percent of respondents stated that they would not do so at all.

During four surveys carried out between January four and December 12, 2024, approximately eight percent of people in the United States aged between 20 and 29 said they were following a vegetarian diet. The share of vegetarians among respondents aged between 50 and 59 was much lower at two percent. Vegetarianism in the U.S. The main two reasons for following a meat-free diet in the U.S. are to be healthier or due to concerns about animal welfare. Overall, approximately six percent of U.S. consumers follow a vegetarian diet. Only India has a share of vegetarians that is considerably higher. According to a survey, the South Asian country has by far the highest share of vegetarians worldwide, with over a third of the population following a vegetarian diet. Meat consumption in the U.S. While many people follow meat-free diets in the U.S., meat remains to be an essential part of the majority of consumers’ diets. In 2023, per capita meat consumption in the U.S. amounted to approximately 225.5 pounds. Broiler chicken was the most consumed meat, followed by beef and pork. Consumption is forecast to slightly grow within the next ten years. The leading U.S. meat and poultry processing companies, based on sales, are Tyson Foods Inc. and JBS USA Holdings Inc. owner of Cargill Meat Solutions.

What is the share of vegetarian and vegan individuals in Italy? From 2014 to 2024, the share of vegetarian people in Italy showed some fluctuations. According to the survey, *** percent of respondents declared to be vegetarian in 2014. Whereas, this value went up to *** percent in 2024. The share of Italian vegan individuals more than tripled during this period. For instance, *** percent of the interviewees claimed to be vegan in Italy in 2024. Reasons behind vegetarianism and veganism in Italy There are undoubtedly several reasons for becoming vegetarian or vegan. In 2021, most Italian vegetarians or vegans chose to change their dietary lifestyle mainly due to their personal philosophy of life. Secondly, many respondents claimed to have made this choice for health reasons, or out of respect for animals. The profile of vegetarian people in Italy Although the share of vegetarians in Italy decreased from 2014 to 2023, vegetarianism was more common than veganism in Italy as of 2023. Furthermore, most Italian vegetarians were aged between 25 and 34 years old. There were less vegetarian men than women. Finally, they came especially from the macro-regions of the North-East, and the Center of Italy.

During a survey carried out between January and December 2023, approximately * percent of French people aged between 18 and 19 said they were following a vegan diet. The share of vegans among respondents aged between 40 and 49 was at ***** percent. Veganism among young people in Europe The share of vegans of approximately * percent among people aged between 18 and 19 is quite similar in comparison to other European countries. By comparison, the share is approximately *** percent among people aged between 18 and 19 in both Italy and Spain. However, in Germany that figure is lower and amount to ***** percent among people from the same demographic. Market for meat-substitutes in France The perceptions of plant-based proteins among surveyed French people was that they are healthy, good for the environment, and a good alternative to animal products. Among the many types of plant-based food, milk substitute products generate by far the highest market value. Soy and pea are the most popular plant-based food ingredients. Other common ingredients used for making plant-based products are rice, almond, cashew, oats, and coconuts. Among the plant-based products offered by manufacturers in France, plant-based steaks were particularly popular among survey respondents.

In December 2024, Generation Z was the generation with the highest share of responding adults who planned not to eat meat in the coming year in Great Britain (GB). Approximately ******* stated that they did not intend to eat meat in 2025. Another **** percent of Gen Z respondents stated that they were already meat-free. Reduction in the meat consumption of British consumers Recently, there have been noticeable changes in meat consumption by consumers in the United Kingdom (UK). Almost ********* of survey respondents stated that they eat less or much less meat, as compared to half a year ago. Moreover, an average of approximately ** percent of British respondents had recently purchased plant-based alternatives for the first time. This was higher than the share of respondents who had done so in the United States and Germany, which was on average around ** and ** percent, respectively. Not only are meat alternatives tried by many new consumers in the UK, but such products are also consumed across all generations, with relatively low variations. The share of consumers who eat meat substitutes in the UK by generation was ** percent among respondents from Generation Z. Veganism in Great Britain According to a recent survey in the UK, the share of vegans is approximately ***** percent. There is no discernable difference among the share of vegans when it comes to gender. Moreover, an average of about ** percent of adults in the UK follow no nutritional rules or diets. Among the different regions in GB, the percentage of vegans slightly varies. In London, the share of people who follow a vegan diet tends to be particularly high, whereas the share of vegans in the Midlands and the rest of the South tends to be relatively low. The main reason for being vegan in the UK is an ethical motivation. Almost ** percent of survey respondents stated that they do not consume animal products because they are concerned with the welfare of animals. Environmental reasons were also considered by about **** of respondents.

Of the respondents taking part in this survey, *** percent stated to follow a vegan diet. Vegan diets were relatively popular in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. In these countries, *** percent of survey participants stated to be vegan.

During a survey carried out between January and December 2023, approximately two percent of Spanish people aged between 20 and 29 said they were following a vegan diet. The share of vegans among respondents aged between 60 and 64 was at one percent. Vegan products in Spain While vegan milk drinks usually offer a wide range of varieties, the supply of other plant-based dairy alternatives is more limited. Plant-based cheese is the main product that Spanish customers who follow a vegan diet would like to see more of at their supermarkets. The lack of variety at supermarkets is what prevents vegans in Spain from purchasing more plant-based cheese. Vegan products are often purchased at larger supermarkets in Spain. However, there are also approximately 400 vegan friendly food stores in Spain. The majority of those are bars and restaurants, while prepared food stores, bakeries, and ice cream parlors constitute the rest. Consumption of plant-based beverages Since 2017, the consumption of plant-based beverages in Spain has continuously increased. Common ingredients for such drinks are soy, oat, almond, or coconut. Vegan milk substitutes are the most popular plant-based alternative to dairy products in Spain. In 2020, Hacendado, the brand of Spanish supermarket Mercadona, was the most frequently purchased brand in the plant-based drinks market in Spain, followed by Alpro and Vivesoy.

Data: SOEP v37, 2020, doi:10.5684/soep.core.v37eu

Abstract of the referenced publication: Using data from the German Socio-Economic Panel, this article examines (1) the prevalence of vegetarians in Germany, (2) their social profile, and (3) dynamic features and short-term effects on subjective health of a vegetarian diet. As in many other Western countries, the prevalence of vegetarians and vegans in Germany is on an upward trend. In the period 2016-2020, about 7 percent of the Germans declared themselves as vegetarians (including vegans). The probability of being a vegetarian is higher among women, younger people, the better educated, those living in single households, residents of urban areas, and those who support the green political party. We observe considerable temporal stability of individual dietary patterns – mainly due to a dominant group of continuous non-vegetarians (almost 90 percent). We also test a special variant of the health-benefit hypothesis of a vegetarian diet. We find no support of this hypothesis when looking at short-term effects on individuals’ overall assessment of their personal health.

In 2024, the number of vegans was estimated to be *** million. Based on survey results, another *** million intend to follow the diet in the future. A combined **** million more are going meatless and either follow a vegetarian, vegan, or pescetarian diet. How many vegans are there really? Due to the small share of vegans in a population, it is often difficult to get a reliable estimate of how many vegans can be found in any given population. Often the margin of error in a survey is larger than the share of vegans found. In the United States, for example, depending on the survey, you can find survey results ranging from *** to **** percent of the population. Across Europe, the overwhelming majority of countries have ***** percent or less of their population following a vegan diet. Healthy eating & Veganism In the United Kingdom, consumers cite health reasons among the top factors that might encourage them to adapt a vegan or vegetarian diet. Almost a quarter of women named health reasons, while ** percent of their male counterparts had a similar standpoint. For men, this made it the leading reason, while women named animal welfare as high as health. Consumers in the United States who have already adopted a vegan or vegetarian diet also frequently named the desire to eat healthier as one of the reasons they adopted their current diet. Two in five vegans and vegetarians in the U.S. named healthier eating, only animal welfare ranked slightly higher.

In 2022, the average price difference per pound between beef and plant-based alternatives in the food service segment in the United States amounted to **** U.S. dollars. Plant-based beef alternatives costed more and were priced at around *** U.S. dollars per pound, compared to the cost of beef which was around **** U.S. dollars per pound. This disparity showed across the board, with plant-based alternatives costing more than animal-based meat in all categories.
How many people follow a vegetarian or vegan diet in the United States? The dietary preferences of consumers in the United States varied across age groups. It was recorded that approximately ***** percent of individuals aged between 18 and 19 followed a vegan diet. Similarly, ***** percent of respondents within the same age group reported following a vegetarian diet. However, as the age of respondents increased to above 40 years old, the prevalence of vegan and vegetarian diets declined. How big is the plant-based meat industry in the United States? In 2022, the sales of plant-based meat alternatives in the U.S. were predominantly based in the retail segment, followed by sales in the food service segment channels. The majority of meat alternative sales in the food service sector in the U.S. were made through restaurants, making up nearly ** percent of the total. This was followed by educational facilities, which also accounted for a notable portion of meat substitute sales.

In 2024, the share of vegetarian individuals in Italy was highest among respondents from the North-East, with 9.4 percent. The South of Italy had the lowest share of vegetarians, with 6.1 percent, while the Center the lowest share of vegans with 1.6 percent.

In 2022, Latin America had the highest growth rate for plant-based meat substitutes among all regions worldwide. Latin America's growth rate was approximately 36 percent. This was more than three times as much as the growth rate of Europe, which was the second-fastest growing region, with approximately nine percent growth.

According to a survey conducted in the Netherlands in 2024, young adults between the ages of 18 and 19 were the most likely to follow a vegetarian diet: eight percent of respondents in that age group indicated being vegetarian. On the other hand, among people aged between 50 and 59 and between 60 and 64, only four percent of respondents considered themselves vegetarians.

In 2025, Germany had ***************** of polled individuals aged between 18 and 29 years of age who were vegetarian or vegan in Europe. All countries had a share of vegetarians that was******* than the share of vegans. Environmental issues In Europe in 2024, ** percent of consumers that stopped, reduced, or have never eaten red meat were motivated by **********************. Reducing consumption of meat and dairy products would likely be a somewhat efficient method of reducing the environmental impact of the agricultural industry on the planet. In the UK, greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural industry amounted to approximately ** million metric tons in 2024. For comparison, in 2022, total emissions in the EU were about *** million metric tons. European perspectives The meat-free market is **************** in Germany, where the sales value of meat substitutes is expected to reach approximately *** billion U.S. dollars by the end of 2030. At the same time, meat consumption in Germany ************************** and is likely to continue to do so. The overall European trend is similar.