In 2022, the largest share of vegans, at 3.67 percent, could be found in London. In contrast, the smallest proportion of the population that identified themselves as vegan could be found in the Rest of the South. Here the share of vegans was close to two percent. The North also showed a high share of vegans. Other facts about Veganism in the UK The Vegan society estimated that about 600 thousand people in the UK followed a vegan diet in 2019. The exact number is disputed and can vary from source to source; however, it seems clear that the number of vegans has been growing. Other estimates put the share of vegans at 2.59 percent of the UK population which would put the number of vegans at around 1.7 million in January of 2019. Ethical motivations and healthier living are the main drivers for becoming a vegan in the UK. A growing importance of ethical consumerism Ethical dimensions increasingly drive consumer spending, whether these are animal-welfare and environmental concerns - in the case of veganism and vegetarianism in particular - or concerns for human rights and social justice. Average household spending on ethical food in the UK has reached eleven million British pounds.

In the United Kingdom, the share of those following a vegetarian diet was highest among the 18 to 19-year-olds at 11 percent. Among respondents 60 to 64 years of age, the share of vegetarians was only two percent. This data for 2023 aggregates the results of four survey waves carried out during 2023.

In 2024, the number of vegans was estimated to be 2.5m. Based on survey results, another two million intend to follow the diet in the future. A combined 6.1 million more are going meatless and either follow a vegetarian or a 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 one to four percent of the population. Across Europe, the overwhelming majority of countries have three 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 19 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 2023, about four percent of responding 20 to 29-year-olds in the United Kingdom stated that they followed a vegan diet. Respondents under fifty were more 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 2,300 in 2016. According to a survey, India has the largest share of vegans worldwide, as about 13 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 six and four 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 seven percent. In the other two regions it was six percent. The south of England showed the least interest overall. The interest in Veganuary is especially high among the youngest consumers, as twelve 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 3.67 percent. The share of vegans in Scotland is approximately 3 percent. As with interest in Veganuary, the South brings up the rear.

In 2022, about 163.58 million British pounds was spent by consumers on chilled vegetarian products in the United Kingdom. Since 2011 the spending on chilled vegetarian foods has been growing and has more than doubled. However, if we look at the complete market for chilled food the vegetarian category’s size pales in comparison to other categories such as sliced cooked meats or ready meals with the former accounting for over two billion in consumer spending.

Vegetarianism in the UK

In the UK, 79 percent of people were self-identified meat eaters and nine percent followed a flexitarian diet (also called semi-vegetarian in the survey). Those who were either vegetarians or vegetarians that also consume fish made up a combined five percent.

Among people in Europe who planned to eat less meat, negative health effects of meat consumption was the number one reason for them to plan to reduce their meat intake. In Great Britain, the main reason to become a vegetarian or vegan were animal welfare concerns, followed by the impression that their new dietary lifestyle was healthier for them.

This statistic displays the proportion of individuals following a vegetarian or vegan diet in the United Kingdom from 2008 to 2012. During the period in question, three percent of individuals aged between 19 and 64 years old were following a vegetarian diet, however 97 percent were following neither a vegetarian or a vegan diet.For more recent numbers focusing on adults click here.

The retail sales of vegetarian products and plant-based alternatives in the United Kingdom amounted to an estimated 1.16 billion British pounds in 2022. Sales peaked in 2020 during the pandemic and collapsed in 2021. The market seems to have returned to pre-pandemic levels and might continue the trend seen before it was majorly disrupted. Meatless diets in the United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, the share of vegans was estimated to be around 4 percent. This puts the country into the top five European countries with the biggest share of vegans. Pescetarians and Vegetarians add to this number so that the total of UK consumers following a meat free diet is around 15 percent. Younger consumers are more likely than any other age group to attempt to live meat free. About 43 percent of members of Generation Z stated that they wanted to live meat free in 2023. For millennials, the same share was slightly over a quarter of survey respondents. For older generations, it was progressively less. The European market for meat substitutes In 2022, the United Kingdom was the second-largest meat substitute market in Europe. Since the start of the pandemic, Germany has taken the top spot as Europe’s leading meat substitute market. The Netherlands lands on rank three in front of Italy. The UK generated 530 million euros in sales. Germany, exceeded this number by over 110 million euros. The overall market for meat alternatives in the European Union came to about two billion U.S. dollars. It is forecast to pass the three billion euro mark in 2028.

In the United Kingdom, about four percent of female respondents stated that they follow a vegan diet. The displayed data on diets and nutrition shows the results of the Statista Global Consumer Survey conducted in the UK in 2023. The displayed data shows the aggregated results of four survey waves.

India has the highest share of vegetarians in the country compared to other select countries in 2024, according to the Statista Consumer Insight survey. Over a third of Indian respondents reported following a vegetarian diet, compared to only eight percent in the United Kingdom. Meat substitutes market in Europe The United Kingdom and Germany hold second and third place respectively for the highest share of vegetarians in the country. Both countries have also increased their production of vegetarian and vegan meat substitutes in recent years. Germany’s meat substitute production increased by over 60 percent between 2019 and 2021 and amounted to 104,300 metric tons. Consumption in the UK is forecast to exceed 130,000 metric tons by 2028. Health and wellness food trends Cutting out meat and animal byproducts is one of many health and wellness trends adopted by consumers to lead a healthier lifestyle. Other wellness trends include reducing sugar intake, using supplements such as vitamins or probiotics, and purchasing organic products. Globally, the functional and natural health food market is expected to reach 27.44 billion U.S. dollars by 2026, and it is likely this trend will only continue to grow.

In January 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 26 percent stated that they did not intend to eat meat in 2024. Another 26 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 one-third of survey respondents stated that they eat less or much less meat, as compared to half a year ago. Moreover, an average of approximately 40 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 31 and 37 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 lowest among baby boomers and highest among millennials and Gen X. Veganism in Great Britain According to a recent survey in the UK, the share of vegans is approximately four percent. There is only a minor difference among the share of vegans when it comes to gender. Moreover, an average of about 56 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 90 percent of survey respondents stated that they do not consume animal products because they think the way animals are farmed and killed for food is cruel. Environmental reasons were also considered by about four-fifths of respondents.

As of December 2021, 89 percent of polled consumers in Great Britain stated that they were vegan due to an ethical motivation. These vegans view farming methods and killing of animals as cruel. Furthermore, approximately 40 percent responded that they followed such a diet, because of personal health reasons. The same survey found slightly lower results for why people initially become vegans. Among those who have forgone meat consumption animal welfare concerns are the most common.

Barriers for becoming vegan

During a survey in February 2019, 2.6 percent of survey respondents in the UK stated that they were vegans. Women had more health concerns over a vegan lifestyle than their male counterparts. Furthermore, about ten percent of respondents in the UK have a broadly negative image of vegans.

Quitting veganism

In 2018, the most common reason to no longer be vegan was inconvenience. Consumers found the diet to be too time consuming, lacking choice and lacking availability of food products. A variety of health reasons and lacking resolve were other big reasons to quit the diet.

As of 2019, the demographic group in Great Britain that was most commonly adhering to a vegan diet were females aged between 18 and 34 years, at three percent of the population. Veganism is a practice of eliminating any use of animal products in a diet or in other forms of use.

In the most recent survey wave in 2023 that aggregates four surveys, the share of respondents stating they are vegan was four percent. Over the period presented, the share of the United Kingdom’s population that declared being vegan was approximately three to four percentage points.

During a survey conducted among vegetarians and vegans in Great Britain in 2021, it was reported that the main reasons for adopting these new dietary habits were animal-welfare concerns. Environmental concerns were expressed by approximately 53 percent of respondents as a reason to chose a vegan life style. Among vegetarian respondents this number was 20 percent lower.

A study conducted in 2019 revealed specific perceptions about vegetarianism and veganism in the UK. 80.6 percent of respondents assessed the vegetarianism as acceptable, while only 59.6 percent of respondents did the same in the case of veganism. Additionally, the vegetarian diet was deemed as more nutritious than the vegan one (63.6 vs. 41.5 percent).

In the last survey wave carried out in the United Kingdom, seven percent of respondents stated that they follow a vegetarian diet. They did not eat meat and also did not consume fish. All waves aggregate the data of the current survey and the three surveys preceding the last. The respondent numbers are for the four surveys aggregated in a wave.

This statistic shows the results of a survey in which respondents were asked if they ever eat meat in Great Britain in 2016, by age. The youngest age group from 15 to 24 years is the most likely to never eat meat at five percent, followed by the 25 to 34 years and 35 to 44 years age groups at four percent each.

As of January 2019, just under 79 percent of the population identified themselves as meat-eaters in the United Kingdom (UK). Approximately nine percent described themselves as flexitarian or semi-vegetarian. The third most popular dietary choice, with around three percent, was lacto-ovo-vegetarianism.

Veganism in the UK

Due to the small share of vegans in the overall population and due to the margin of error in surveys, it is difficult to exactly pinpoint the share of vegans. Other sources put the share of vegans in Great Britain at 1.1 percent or at roughly 600,000 persons as of 2018. The main reason for becoming vegan were ethical motivations, including animal welfare and environmental concerns.

Dietary trends in the UK

London was the center for all food trends in the UK that aimed to reduce or eliminate meat, fish or animal product consumption, whether vegans, flexitarians, pescatarians or vegetarians. A significant number of consumers consider reducing their consumption of the above-mentioned products. To supply demand, a notable industry has established itself to deliver on suitable products for these consumers. In 2017, sales revenues of vegetarian products amounted to about 657 million British pounds in the United Kingdom alone. The market for these products and meat substitutes is likely to grow far beyond that in the coming decades.

In a series of surveys conducted in 2024, roughly 52 percent of Indian respondents indicated that they typically follow a diet that excludes meat. These individuals reported adhering to vegan, vegetarian, or pescetarian lifestyles, reflecting a strong preference for plant-based or seafood-only diets among a substantial portion of the population. What kind of diets that cut or reduce meat are there? Among the most popular meat-free diets are flexitarian, pescatarian, and vegan. The flexitarian diet is the least restrictive, focusing on vegetarian foods while occasionally allowing meat and fish. The pescatarian diet includes vegetarian foods along with fish and seafood. In contrast, veganism is the most restrictive, being entirely plant-based and excluding all animal products. Meat substitute products, or alternatives, are a popular replacement for meat. In Germany, millennials and Gen Z are the most likely to regularly consume substitutes. Meat-free diets in the UK and Great Britain In April 2023, around 36 percent of individuals surveyed in the United Kingdom indicated their agreement with the statement, "Generally speaking, meat-free diets are more beneficial for the environment." In comparison, a mere five percent of respondents voiced strong disagreement with this perspective, suggesting a significant portion of the population recognizes the environmental advantages of reducing meat consumption. In January 2024, Generation Z in Great Britain represented the highest percentage of adults planning to cut meat from their diets in the coming year. Approximately 26 percent of respondents stated their intention to avoid meat in 2024, while an equal percentage reported already adhering to a meat-free lifestyle.

As of 2019, the largest share of population, at six percent, who followed a vegetarian diet was in the Inner London. In contrast, the smallest proportion of population was to be found in the East Midlands and North West.