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 ***** of Indian respondents reported following a vegetarian diet, compared to only ***** 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 ** percent between 2019 and 2021 and amounted to ******* metric tons. Consumption in the UK is forecast to exceed ******* 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 ***** billion U.S. dollars by 2026, and it is likely this trend will only continue to grow.

In 2024, about **** million people in Germany were either vegetarians or largely forgo meat consumption. Since 2014, the number of people identifying as either complete or nearly complete vegetarians has grown noticeably. Trends in German meat consumption Per capita meat consumption in Germany has changed in recent years. Except for poultry, pork and beef saw noticeable annual decreases. Consumption of meat and sausage products, for which the country is well known, varied by product, giving rise to the idea that Germans are no longer totally hesitant to give up on meat or sausages. The German vegetarian and vegan meat Substitute market The decline in German meat consumption is accompanied by a rise in the production of vegan and vegetarian meat substitutes. In 2021, close to ******* tons of these alternatives were produced in Germany. Just in the two since 2019 this production has grown by almost ****** tons. In monetary value, this means a production of meat substitutes worth close to *** million euros.

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.

More and more consumers are adopting vegetarian and vegan diets in the United States. Where only *** percent of Americans over the age of 50 consider themselves vegetarian, *** 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 ** percent and meat alternatives by ** percent. The sales values of these categories were worth *** million and *** million dollars respectively. Milk alternatives are still the highest selling segment of plant-based foods, valued at *** billion dollars in 2018.

Animal welfare topped the list of motivations for vegetarians and vegans of why they follow their diet in the United States. The survey, from early 2024, found that roughly ** percent of respondents named this as a one of the reasons they currently follow their diet.

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.

During four surveys carried out between January four and December 12, 2024, approximately ***** 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 *** 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 *** 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 ***** 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 ***** 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.

This statistic shows the results of a 2018 survey among adult Americans on whether they are vegetarian or vegan. During the survey, 5 percent of respondents in the United States said they considered themselves vegetarian, while 3 percent said they were vegan.

According to an online survey as of June 2024, the majority of vegetarians, vegans or supporters in Brazil were living in the state of São Paulo, with over 11.1 thousand people. The second largest population of self-identified vegetarians, vegans and supporters were found in Rio de Janeiro, with more than 3.2 thousand respondents. In 2018, 14 percent of respondents in a survey in Brazil identified as vegetarians.

Conscious meat consumption is a topic regularly debated in the Netherlands. The vegetarian community in the country is small but growing: whereas in 2017 six percent of survey respondents stated to consider themselves vegetarian, by 2023 that figure had reached nine percent. Among flexitarians however, that is part-time vegetarians who consciously avoid meat at least one day a week, the trend witnessed more fluctuations over the years. As of 2023, ** percent of survey respondents considered themselves flexitarians, an ***** percent loss compared to the previous year and only *** percent more than in 2017.

The young vegetarian  Not eating meat is particularly popular among the younger generations in the Netherlands. A 2024 survey found that the largest share of vegetarians is to be found among 18-to-29 year-olds. Flexitarians on the other hand were mostly distributed among 18-to-19 year-olds and 30-to-39 year-olds.

Reasons to go vegetarian Vegetarians have different motives to stop eating meat. According to a 2024 survey, the main reasons to go vegetarian included concerns about animal welfare, environmental protection, and personal health. Interestingly, the price of animal products also factored in, as indicated by close to ** percent of respondents.

In 2024, the share of vegetarian individuals in Italy was *** percent among male and *** among female respondents. The share of vegans among men was *** percent while for women it stood at *** percent.

The number of vegans in the European Union is likely to grow between 2023 and 2033. The data covers 18 of the 27 EU countries. In the selected part of the EU, there are an estimated **** million vegans as of 2023. This number is forecast to rise to about **** million.

A 2023 survey found that ** percent of Brazilian respondents followed an ovo-vegetarian, strict vegetarian or vegan diet. This is nearly double the percentage in 2012, when only ***** percent of respondents said they were vegetarians, but *** percent less than in 2018.

As of March 2018, British Columbia was the Canadian province with the highest rates of vegetarianism and veganism. Some *** percent of survey respondents in British Columbia stated that they were vegetarian, whilst some *** percent claimed to be vegan. The Prairies had the lowest rate of vegetarianism, and the Atlantic region had the lowest rate of veganism.

What is the difference between vegetarian and vegan?

Someone who is vegetarian does not eat any meat, poultry, game, fish or shellfish. Veganism is a stricter form of vegetarianism: vegans do not eat any animal or animal-derived products. This includes any dairy products, eggs, gelatin etc. Those who follow more stringent vegan diets may also cut out foods such as honey. People can have various motives for following such diets, including religious, health, environmental and moral reasons.

Opinions on plant-based foods in Canada

In a recent survey, some 43 percent of Canadian stated that they would eat a plant-based substitute for meat. Females aged between 18 and 34 are the demographic most likely to view eating more plant-based foods and products as a positive choice. Despite British Columbia having the highest levels or vegetarianism and veganism, Canadians in the Atlantic provinces are most likely to view eating more plant-based foods positively.

In 2021, vegans and vegetarians accounted for *** percent of Poland's population.

Roughly ** percent of the Swedes replied to a survey held between 2015 and 2018 they were not a vegetarian or a vegan. As of 2018, only ***** percent stated to be vegetarians and *** percent were vegans. In the year before, most vegetarians in Sweden were women, reaching a share of ***** percent. By comparison, the share of men eating vegetarian food was half as high.
  Interest in vegetarian food       Among Swedes who are not vegetarians or vegans, the share of individuals being interested in vegetarian food increased in recent years from ** percent in 2015 to ** percent in 2018. However, most respondents who are not vegetarians or vegans have not noticed a development in their interest in vegetarian food within the past years.

Alternative for meat consumption: seafood
The result of a survey conducted in 2017 on attitudes to seafood as a meat alternative in Sweden showed that the majority of poultry buyers were convinced of seafood as a very good alternative for poultry meat. Among all meat buyers, this share amounted to ** percent.

In 2025, the largest share of vegans, at *** 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 and the Midlands. Here the share of vegans was close to *** percent. Scotland and Wales showed a share of vegans twice as high as the Midlands. Other facts about Veganism in the UK It is estimated that about *** million people in the UK followed a vegan diet in 2024. 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 ***** percent of the UK internet population (excluding children and seniors over 65), which would put the number of vegans at around *** million in 2025. 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 ****** million British pounds.

Approximately ** percent of residents in the state of Haryana in India followed a vegetarian diet in 2014. West Bengal had only *** percent of vegetarians during the time period.

The share of people who follow a vegetarian diet worldwide as of 2016, is highest in the Asia-Pacific region.

A survey conducted from 2018 to 2021 about the change in plant-based vegetarian or vegan diets in New Zealand revealed that the adoption of plant-based vegetarian diet or vegan diet grew among New Zealanders in 2021 by ** percent, compared to the previous year. Moreover, the change in plant-based vegetarian or vegan diets saw a small decline in 2020, with a respondent's share of ** percent.