Nils-Gerrit Wunsch
Research expert covering foods trends in North America, Europe, and the global food system
Get in touch with us nowIn 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.
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.
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.
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Overview
Meat and dairy free products
Veganism, vegetarianism, and pescetarianism
Consumption
Further related statistics
* For commercial use only
Basic Account
Starter Account
The statistic on this page is a Premium Statistic and is included in this account.
Professional Account
1 All prices do not include sales tax. The account requires an annual contract and will renew after one year to the regular list price.