Latest Vegan Statistics – Vegan Adoption and Facts Not to Miss in 2024

The term veganism' was coined in 1944by Donald Watson, founder of the Vegan Society. However, these vegan statistics show that the concept only reached peak public awareness in 2020.

And in 2024, interest in veganism and plant-based diets is higher than ever, with Veganuary hitting an all-time record of participants-more than double the number recorded in 2023.

It seems veganism is still growing, although the share of vegans worldwide is still in the single digits. So, where exactly is the movement standing today? Read on to see what the latest vegan stats show in 2024.

This article covers the number of vegans worldwide, the most vegan-friendly countries, the latest plant-based food market trends, and the more controversial 84% of vegans and vegetarians quit' statistic that's been floating around over the past few years.

• Key Vegan Statistics to Know in 2024
• What is Veganism?
• Veganism Adoption and Market Trends Worldwide
  1. Growing Interest in Veganism and Plant-Based Eating
  2. A Higher Demand for Vegan Foods
     1. Where The Plant Based Food Market is Thriving
     2. Most Popular Plant-Based Foods Today
  3. But Fully Plant-Based Diets Are Still Not Mainstream
  4. The Countries With The Most Vegans Today
• Veganism Demographics - Who Is The Average Vegan?
• Why Do People Go Vegan?
• Vegan Diet Statistics - How Good Is It, Really?
  1. What Veganism Means for Animal Welfare
  2. The Environmental Impact of Eating Plant-Based
     1. Plant-Based Foods Require Less Land
     2. A Shrinking Animal Industry is About More Than Just Land Use
  3. On Vegan Diets & Health
  4. Are Vegan Diets Hard to Maintain?
• In Conclusion
• FAQs
  • Key Vegan Statistics to Know in 2024
  • What is Veganism?
  • Veganism Adoption and Market Trends Worldwide
    1. Growing Interest in Veganism and Plant-Based Eating
    2. A Higher Demand for Vegan Foods
       1. Where The Plant Based Food Market is Thriving
       2. Most Popular Plant-Based Foods Today
    3. But Fully Plant-Based Diets Are Still Not Mainstream
    4. The Countries With The Most Vegans Today
  • Veganism Demographics - Who Is The Average Vegan?
  • Why Do People Go Vegan?
  • Vegan Diet Statistics - How Good Is It, Really?
    1. What Veganism Means for Animal Welfare
    2. The Environmental Impact of Eating Plant-Based
       1. Plant-Based Foods Require Less Land
       2. A Shrinking Animal Industry is About More Than Just Land Use
    3. On Vegan Diets & Health
    4. Are Vegan Diets Hard to Maintain?
  • In Conclusion
  • FAQs Key Vegan Statistics to Know in 2024
    • Google searches for vegan' reached a peak globally in January 2020, around the 7th edition of Veganuary (which had hit a new record of 400,000 participants at the time).
    • Veganuary reached a new all-time high of 1.8+ million participants in 2024-more than double that in 2023 and any previous edition.
    • Roughly 3% of the world is vegan (approximately 237 million people), according to 2018 estimates.
    • India is the most vegan-friendly country in the world, with 11% of surveyed respondents claiming to be vegan in 2024.
    • Germany and the UK have the most vegans in Europe-2.49 million and 2 million people, respectively.
    • The US is the fifth most vegan country worldwide in 2024. 4% of Americans are vegan (or 13.3 million people-almost as many as all vegans in the EU combined).
    • 25% of 2024 Veganuary participants went fully vegan after completing the challenge, and 81% cut their meat consumption by at least half.
    • The plant-based food market could hit $64.7 billion in 2024, with vegan milk substitutes capturing the largest market share.
    • According to the most conservative estimates, the US plant-based retail market was worth $8.1 billion in 2023-nearly 33% of the global plant-based market.
    • In 2023, over 60% of US households purchased plant-based alternatives, although 95% of those also purchased animal products.
    • In the US, former vegans and vegetarians outnumber current plant-based eaters 5:1, and 53% quit within the first year, according to Faunalytics. Still, 37% of those who quit said they wanted to go back in the future.
    • Dissatisfaction with food is the most common reason why people quit, with nearly 50% of former plant-based eaters having experienced cravings, food boredom, and feeling hungry on the diet.
    • In 2024, the most common reasons cited for going vegan or vegetarian include animal welfare (43%), eating healthier (40%), and reducing one's environmental impact (36%).
    What is Veganism?Veganism is a philosophy and a lifestyle that excludes, as far as possible and practicable, all forms of animal cruelty and exploitation, whether for food, clothing, or other purposes.

    Under The Vegan Society's definition of veganism, the movement consists of both a philosophy and a lifestyle.

    As a philosophy, veganism focuses on animal ethics first and foremost, although people may also go vegan for additional reasons like environmental concerns, according to the same source.

    To apply this philosophy in daily life, a vegan lifestyle entails:

    • Adopting an exclusively plant-based diet. This means the elimination of all animal foods, including meat, fish, dairy, eggs, honey, and gelatin.
    • Not using animal-derived or tested products (as far as realistically possible). This includes leather, wool, fur, or silk clothing, as well as makeup, hygiene items, and medicine tested on animals or containing animal products like lactose or gelatin.
    • Not supporting animal exploitation for entertainment purposes, such as in zoos, aquariums, and dog or horse racing.
    Vegan vs Plant Based Explained

    There's a big overlap between veganism and plant based eating, as is to be expected. However, these terms aren't always interchangeable, so it's worth noting a few key differences.

    According to Forks Over Knives, the term plant-based' refers primarily to diet and was coined in the health science community.

    A plant-based diet is based primarily on plants but may not eliminate all animal foods. Several types of plant-based diets exist, ranging all the way from flexitarian to vegan.

    The term vegan' can refer to multiple lifestyle elements, including diet. By definition, the vegan diet is 100% plant-based.

    That said, as veganism is focused on animal welfare concerns, someone who eats a fully plant-based diet may not necessarily be vegan (unless they adopt other lifestyle changes aligned with veganism).

    For example, people may eat 100% plant based but still wear leather or fur, which aren't vegan products.

    Veganism Adoption and Market Trends Worldwide

    It's difficult to say exactly how many people are vegan and how popular veganism truly is. Estimates vary, and the growing demand for plant-based foods is fueled not only by vegans but also by other plant-based dieters.

    That said, recent trends suggest more people are cutting back on meat, and a small share are planning to go vegan.

    Growing Interest in Veganism and Plant-Based Eating

    Overall, the number of vegans in the world is still small, but interest in meat-free and other plant-based diets is picking up, so we could see more people switching diets in the future.

    In fact, 25% or more of people across 39 countries were already trying to eat less meat in 2023. Morocco, Germany, and Austria had the highest share of reducetarians, at over 40%.

    Source: Statista

    According to other surveys, 15% of Europeans were already eating a lot less' meat in 2023. However, this survey only looked at nine countries, including Austria, France, Germany, and the UK.

    In the US, only 23% of respondents were trying to cut back. Still, 3% of Americans wanted to go vegan or vegetarian as their New Year's resolution for 2024.

    And in 2024, roughly 1.8+ million people signed up for Veganuary-more than in any other edition since 2014.

    Additional YouGov data suggests the real number is closer to 25 million people worldwide, according to the official Veganuary website.

    In a following survey, 81% of Veganuary participants said they reduced their meat consumption by at least half, and 1 in 4 went fully vegan after the diet challenge.

    The growing popularity of vegan food products and companies also reflects this transition towards more plant-based diets.

    A Higher Demand for Vegan Foods

    According to various estimates, the global vegan food market is worth over $20 billion today and still growing.

    The exact figures vary depending on how market reports define vegan' or plant-based.' But one thing's for sure-demand for plant-based alternatives is on the rise.

    It's not just vegan brands like Beyond Meat or Impossible Food, either. According to Livekindly, 80% of the top US meat producers have expanded their offer to include vegan foods, including Tyson and JBS.

    In 2023, the market reached $24.58 billion, and forecasts predict it'll hit $27.8 billion in 2024. Bloomberg's estimates are higher ($29.4 billion in 2020), with a forecasted $64.7 billion in 2024 (and $162 billion by 2030).

    Source: Bloomberg

    According to Bloomberg, plant-based foods could account for 7.7% of the protein market worldwide by 2030, with meat alternatives potentially making up 5% of the global meat market.

    Dairy alternatives take up the largest share of the plant-based market.

    But plant-based dairy is, by far, the most in-demand globally.

    In 2020, dairy alternatives made up the vast majority of the plant-based market, and according to Bloomberg, plant-based dairy could capture 10% of the global dairy market share within the next decade.

    According to a recent Statista forecast, the milk substitutes market will generate an estimated $25.23 billion in revenue in 2024.

    And in the US, the sales value of plant-based milk alone reached $2.9 billion in December 2023-more than meat alternatives, protein powders, and egg substitutes combined.

    Where The Plant Based Food Market is Thriving

    So, where is the highest demand right now? Well, according to a 2023 Statista survey, Asia and Europe have the highest share of people consuming meat substitutes.

    Almost a quarter of people in Vietnam said they regularly consume meat alternatives. In this survey, meat substitutes were defined as plant-based burger patties, vegan sausages, and similar products.

    Source: Statista

    Other Asian countries and regions with a high share of people seeking meat substitutes included Hong Kong (21%), Thailand (20%), Mainland China (19%), and Saudi Arabia (19%).

    In Europe, 21% of UK respondents regularly had meat substitutes, followed by the Netherlands (19%), Germany (17%), and Switzerland (17%).

    In 2022, sales of plant-based meat substitutes also surpassed $575 million in the UK and $697 million in Germany.

    On the American continent, the US, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Colombia took the lead, with 14% of respondents in each country consuming meat alternatives.

    Interestingly, Latin America, in particular, has seen the sharpest uptick in meat substitutes in recent years-+36% in 2022 compared to +3% in North America and +9% in Europe.

    However, the US and Europe already had larger markets, so this could be a matter of other regions catching up.'

    In the US alone, the plant-based retail market was worth $8.1 billion in 2023, making up nearly 33% of the global plant-based market if we go by the most conservative estimates.

    The US and several European countries are also among the top five countries by meat substitute revenue. China led the way with $2.1 billion in revenue in 2023, in large part due to its larger population.

    As for milk substitutes, Asia leads the way with an estimated revenue of $13.4 billion in 2023. China makes up 70% of this figure, followed by Japan (13%).

    Source: Statista

    North America was the second-biggest regional market, generating $4.5 billion in revenue (80% coming from the US).

    In Europe, Germany is the biggest player and accounts for 20% of the $4.9 billion regional revenue. Germany, the UK, and Spain combined made up over 50% of the total regional revenue.

    Most Popular Plant-Based Foods Today

    In terms of which specific products are the most popular, surveys from the US and Europe show that chicken,' burgers, and tofu are the most commonly consumed meat alternatives.

    Source: Statista

    Beyond Meat is among the top producers of such alternatives and was the most Googled vegan brand globally in 2021. According to Vegonomist, the brand had over 422,000 monthly searches.

    This household name is still going strong three years later, but competition is also higher today, with newcomers like Meati Foods and Konscious Foods carving their own places in the market.

    Annual sales for milk substitutes in the US also suggest that almond milk is the most popular dairy substitute, followed by oat and soy milk.

    Source: Statista

    Among top producers, Oatly is perhaps the best known and was the second most-Googled vegan company worldwide in 2021. Brands like Sproud and Alpro have also been garnering a lot of attention in recent years.

    All things considered, though, the higher demand for vegan foods doesn't mean more people are going vegan.

    For example, over 60% of US households purchase plant-based foods in 2023, but according to the Good Food Institute, 95% of those also purchase animal products.

    But Fully Plant-Based Diets Are Still Not Mainstream

    More people are consuming plant-based alternatives nowadays, and global interest in veganism has been increasing steadily since 2010, at least according to Google Trends.

    Searches for vegan' peaked in January 2020, right around the time of the 7th edition of Veganuary (which had hit a new record of 400,000 participants at the time).

    

    So, we can at least say that awareness about veganism is higher than ever. Despite this, most recent polls and surveys suggest the percentage of vegans in the world remains in the single digits.

    According to 2018 estimates from Ipsos, roughly 3% of the world is vegan. That put the number of vegans in the world at approximately 237 million. More recent surveys show similar trends on a regional level.

    For example, only 3% of the EU is vegan (approximately 13.47 million people). However, other plant-based diets are more popular-12% of respondents said they were flexitarian.

    Source: Statista

    Still, some countries are more vegan-friendly than others. India, for example, has the highest share of vegans worldwide.

    The Countries With The Most Vegans Today

    11% of Indian respondents said they were vegan in a global 2024 survey, so India has the most vegans in Asia (and worldwide). Other Asian countries like Hong Kong, Singapore, and Saudi Arabia made the top 10.

    Israel and Switzerland share the spot for the second most vegan-friendly countries worldwide, with 6% of respondents following a fully plant-based diet. This also means Switzerland has the highest share of vegans in Europe, with most other European countries falling between 2-4%.

    In the EU, the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, and France topped the list at 3-4%. But these are just percentages. When extrapolating these percentages to the total population, however, Germany has the most vegans in Europe-2.49 million, according to the same estimates.

    Source: Statista

    Notably, 3% of UK respondents were vegan, which puts the number of vegans in the country at over 2 million-the second-highest in Europe.

    Then, we have the countries with the smallest share of vegans. Only 1% of respondents in Russia, Japan, Hungary, Portugal, or Romania were vegan.

    Surprisingly, the US was among the most vegan-friendly countries on the list and the most vegan-friendly country in North America. As of 2023, 4% of Americans are vegan.

    Based on this estimate, there are 13.3 million vegans in the US-almost as many as all vegans in the EU combined. Notably, only 2% of Americans were vegan in 2012, so it's slowly picking up steam in the US.

    Veganism Demographics - Who Is The Average Vegan?

    Vegans can and do belong to any demographic group. But, on average, vegans are more likely to be young and politically left-leaning. Vegans are also more likely to be health- and environmentally-conscious.

    Recent surveys and polls show that most vegans are either millennials or zoomers. The overall age breakdown varies across regions, but the trend is constant.

    In the UK, 6% of those aged 30-39 claimed to be vegan in 2023, followed by 4% of those aged 18-29.

    In the EU, 4% of zoomers are vegan in 2024 (twice the share of Gen Xers). In the US, 6 in 10 vegans and vegetarians are aged 30-49, according to Faunalytics.

    The same applies to flexitarians. In 2024, 17% of US millennials consume meat substitutes regularly, followed by 15% of gen Zers.

    Source: Statista

    In the EU, millennials are again the most likely to consume meat alternatives-15% of millennials and 14% of gen Zers consume meat substitutes regularly.

    Slightly more vegans and flexitarians are women. In the EU, for example, 15% of women said they consumed meat substitutes regularly, compared to 12% of men.

    In the Faunalytics US survey, 74% of women were current vegans and vegetarians, compared to 69% of the men.

    The same survey found that vegans and vegetarians are more likely to identify as liberal-52% of current plant-based dieters identify as liberal, while just 14% identify as conservative.

    Also, in the US, black Americans are nearly 3 times more likely to be vegan or vegetarian. ABC reports that 8% of Black Americans follow a plant-based diet, compared to 3% of the general population.

    Surprisingly, at least in the US, lower-income individuals are more likely to be vegan or vegetarian. In 2022, 7% of lower-income Americans were either vegetarian or vegan, compared to 4% of middle-income and 3% of upper-income subsets of the population.

    The Vegonomist also reports that US liberals are three times more likely to follow plant-based diets compared to moderates and conservatives. However, there was no significant difference across different education levels.

    Why Do People Go Vegan?

    Unsurprisingly, most plant-based eaters cite animal welfare as the #1 reason why they are vegan. Of course, there are several other good reasons to go green.

    The most commonly cited reasons for eating a plant-based diet in the US
    Source: Statista

    Of the current vegans or vegetarians in the US, over 40% cite animal welfare, while another 40% said they wanted to eat healthier. Over a third (36%) wished to reduce their environmental impact.

    The same trend applied to worldwide Veganuary participants in 2022 and 2023:

    • 40% of respondents joined Veganuary for the animals
    • 21% for personal health
    • 18% for the environment

    Other common reasons include weight loss, doing it for a friend or family member, or to try and improve global health-for example, by reducing the risk of zoonotic disease outbreaks like bird flu or swine flu.

    Vegan Diet Statistics - How Good Is It, Really?

    The most common reasons to go vegan include animal welfare, environmental concerns, and personal health. But have you ever wondered how helpful a plant-based diet is in these regards? Let's find out.

    What Veganism Means for Animal Welfare

    Animal agriculture is a major global industry that raises and slaughters tens of billions of animals for food every year and fuels the annual consumption of 360 million tonnes of meat globally, as per 2021 estimates from the Food and Agriculture Organization.

    And this number actually excludes fish and seafood. According to the same source, hundreds of millions of land animals get slaughtered every day, including:

    • 202 million chickens
    • 12 million ducks
    • 1.7 million sheep
    • 1.4 million goats
    • 900,000 cows

    The number of fish killed for food is harder to estimate, but according to Our World in Data, it's somewhere in the hundreds of millions a day and may even surpass 2 trillion a year, as per 2024 estimates published in the journal Animal Welfare.

    Considering this unimaginable scale, you might think one person eschewing meat is like one drop in the ocean. However, the numbers do add up.

    For example, according to the UK's Humane League, the average person in the UK consumes up to 10,000 animals in their lifetime.

    However, as per the same source, switching to a vegan diet could save one animal per day (and 365 animals a year) on average. This figure includes primarily smaller animals like fish.

    Other estimates from the Animal Charity Evaluators are a bit lower-one vegan saves around 105 animals a year, but this figure takes into account both fish and land animals.

    Breaking it down, every year, the average vegan saves roughly:

    • 93 fishes (both wild-caught and farmed)
    • 11.5 birds (primarily chicken and ducks)
    • 0.5 mammals (primarily beef, sheep, goats, and rabbits)

    Based on an estimated 237 million vegans in the world today, vegans save 24.8 billion animals a year globally (2.8 billion of these are land animals like poultry and mammals).

    Considering that 83 billion land animals are slaughtered every year, vegans contribute to a -3.37% reduction in the global demand for poultry and livestock combined.

    The Environmental Impact of Eating Plant-Based

    Around 30% of the calories in the American diet come from animal foods, according to 2016 USDA estimates. That's a little over 700 calories a day from meat, fish, dairy, eggs, and animal fats combined.

    The other 70% is all plant foods, although we're talking primarily grains (581 calories), oils (518 calories), and sugars (369 calories). Healthy foods like fruit, vegetables, and nuts make up just a sad 279 calories (roughly 11% of the daily diet).

    So, we're only talking about 30% of the calories in the average diet. How bad could this be? Well, it could still mean a few things for the environment.

    Plant-Based Foods Require Less Land

    If the entire world switched to a plant-based diet, the global agricultural land use would shrink by 75% from 4 to 1 billion hectares.

    Replacing these 30% of the calories from animal foods could also have a huge impact on a personal scale, too. Animal foods are more land-intensive than plant foods, with dairy and red meat leading the way in global land use.

    Beef and lamb are by far the worst, requiring over 100 square meters of land to produce 1,000 calories. Overall, it takes 100 times more land to produce one gram of protein and one kilocalorie from livestock compared to alternative sources like tofu or legumes.

    Source: Our World in Data

    Just cutting out beef and dairy would have the largest impact on global agricultural land use, even if keeping chicken and farmed fish in the diet.

    Cutting out red meat will also reduce the land used for raising crops. Half of the world's desert- and ice-free lands are used for raising livestock, but another 43% of the global cropland is used to feed livestock animals.

    Circling back to animal welfare, going vegan would not only reduce the direct death of livestock animals but also cut the total crop deaths associated with industrial animal agriculture.A Shrinking Animal Industry is About More Than Just Land Use

    Animal agriculture takes up a lot of land to give us protein and calories. It also gives us some less desirable by-products, which we could avoid or reduce by shifting towards a more plant-based diet:

    • Greenhouse gas emissions: Livestock and fish farms, crops for animal feed, and land use for livestock contribute 52% of all greenhouse gas emissions related to food production (and 13.5% of all global emissions).
    • Water pollution: Animal waste from large farms is a major cause of water pollution, with nitrogen-rich manure contributing to toxic algal blooms and dead ocean and river zones, like the 6,334 square miles recorded in The Gulf of Mexico.
    • Degrading soil health: According to The FAIRR Initiative, manure is among the main global causes of heavy metal soil contamination due to livestock feed additives. These metals are toxic to crops and soil organisms even in small doses, threatening soil health and viability.
    • Biodiversity threats: Shrinking agricultural land use would reduce deforestation, which has already displaced multiple species. Reversing this trend would allow wilderness to regrow, rebuilding wildlife habitats, according to Our World in Data.
    • Antibiotic resistance: Widespread use of antibiotics in livestock has fueled the evolution of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, rendering commonly used antibiotics ineffective against new strains-a serious global health risk that's already on the WHO's radar.
    • Risk of pandemics: Several pandemics in history originated as zoonotic diseases (likely including the plague and the Spanish Flu). Cramped industrial farms make the ideal environment for the mutation and transmission of such viruses.
    On Vegan Diets & Health

    A growing number of people are going plant-based for reasons beyond animal welfare, and personal health is the second most common reason for trying veganism.

    In 2023, 21% of Veganuary participants did the challenge for their health. But is a vegan diet really healthy? It depends. What you eat is just as important as what you cut out, according to a 2017 study from Harvard.

    Plant-based eaters eating more whole grains, produce, legumes, and nuts had a lower risk of heart disease than those eating primarily processed foods like french fries, muffins, and sugary beverages, the study found.

    When we hear about the benefits of plant-based diets, it's all about these healthy eating patterns, often referred to as a whole food plant-based diet' (or WFPB diet for short).

    Keeping this in mind, vegan diet statistics show that WFPB eating is healthy in several ways:

    • Vegan diets are typically higher in fiber, vitamins C and E, magnesium, folate, and antioxidants.
    • Vegans usually eat less saturated fat and total calories and no red meat or cholesterol-dietary changes that lead to lower body weight and healthier blood markers.
    • On average, vegans have lower BMI, blood cholesterol levels, and blood pressure.
    • Because vegans have lower body weight and cholesterol, they also have lower rates of heart disease on average.
    • Plant-based eaters have lower rates of colorectal, prostate, and stomach cancer than those following nonvegetarian diets.
    • Diets high in plant products are associated with a lower risk of death from all causes.
    • Plant-based diets are also associated with better glucose metabolism and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

    But there are some potential downsides, particularly concerning unbalanced plant-based diets. Vegetarians and vegans have higher rates of deficiency for key nutrients like vitamin B12, vitamin D, iodine, selenium, calcium, iron, and long-chain omega-3 fatty acids.

    These nutrients are readily available in dairy products, fish, and other types of meat. When cutting out these food groups, it's important to make sure you're replacing or supplementing these nutrients. Otherwise, such deficiencies can lead to serious health risks.

    For example, vitamin B12 deficiency can cause potentially irreversible nerve damage, spinal cord degeneration, and even paralysis. Calcium and vitamin D deficiencies lead to a higher risk of bone fractures and osteoporosis.

    Of course, these deficiencies are not a given, but the data suggests you should pay closer attention to meet the recommended micronutrient intake for these particular vitamins and minerals.

    If you plan to go vegan, you can still get all the essential nutrients you need by eating a well-planned and balanced plant-based diet and replacing animal sources of calcium, iron, and other nutrients with vegan options. It's also important to take a vitamin B12 supplement or eat fortified foods containing B12.

    For more information about key nutrients to focus on and how to build a balanced vegan diet, we recommend the Vegan Nutrition Guide by vegan dietitian Ginny Messina, MPH, RD.

    It's also a good idea to consult with your doctor before undergoing a radical lifestyle change.

    Are Vegan Diets Hard to Maintain?

    How hard it is to maintain a vegan diet depends on the person, but the data we have right now suggests that veganism and vegetarianism might have a retention problem.

    In the US, former vegans and vegetarians outnumbered current plant based eaters 5:1, according to a 2014 study by Faunalitics. 84% of vegans and vegetarians abandon their diet, and 53% quit within the first year.

    Source: Faunalytics

    The source found that some plant-based eaters face challenges related to diet satisfaction and social issues. On the flip side, current vegans are 2.5 times more likely to maintain their diets than people following weight loss diets.

    So, maybe a veggie regimen isn't uniquely hard to maintain after all? Here's what else the Faunalytics research tells us about ex-vegans and ex-vegetarians.

    Over a third (37%) of quitters said they wanted to go back in the future, and 59% of them would do so for health reasons. Of those who quit and were interested in going back in 2014, 45% said they needed more convenience and better-tasting food.

    So, why quit in the first place? Taste preference was the primary reason. Nearly 50% of former vegetarians and vegans experienced cravings, boredom with food, and feeling hungry on the diet. Almost 1 in 3 quit the diet because of dissatisfaction with food.

    Roughly 1 in 4 people quit for health reasons. Other commonly cited reasons included social issues (13%), inconvenience (13%) and cost (6%).

    Speaking of social issues, 63% of those who quit said they disliked sticking out because of their diet. Additionally, 49% said they didn't interact much with other vegetarians or vegans, which further adds to the social isolation.

    Former plant-based eaters were also less likely to be interested in animal ethics. While 68% of current vegans and vegetarians cited animal protection as a major motivator, former vegans and vegetarians had primarily pursued the diet for health reasons.

    And considering this data comes from 2014, success rates for plant based eaters could be considerably higher now. We're yet to get a more recent picture.

    However, the growth of the plant-based food market within the past decade certainly made it easier to go and stay vegan, especially considering the recent taste and texture improvements in vegan alternatives (not to mention the wider availability of vegan foods nowadays).

    It's also worth noting that Faunalytics was a small survey with 1,387 respondents. While the analysis gives us insightful information on why some people quit the diet, it's no guarantee the 84% figure is representative.

    Other older analyses had different findings. The EPIC-Oxford Study from the 1990s had over 21,000 vegetarian and vegan participants. Here, the recidivism rate was only 15% after a 5-year follow-up and 27% after 15 years.In Conclusion

    Veganism remains a small movement, with only 3% of the global population identifying as vegan. However, interest in veganism and other plant-based diets is still growing worldwide.

    Almost 2 million people signed up for Veganuary in 2024, and over 80% of surveyed participants said they cut their meat consumption in half after completing the challenge, and a quarter went fully vegan.

    Considering the increased demand for plant-based alternatives, the global vegan food market could hit $64.7 billion in 2024 according to Bloomberg's estimates, with Asia, Europe, and North America already leading the way.

    We expect the wider availability of plant-based foods to make it easier for people to follow plant based diets in the near future. What do you think? Are you already eating plant based, or are you going to give it a shot? Let us know!

    FAQs What percentage of the world is vegan?

    Roughly 3% of the world is vegan as of 2018, according to estimates from Ipsos.

    What's the percentage of vegans in the US?

    The percentage of vegans in the US reached 4% in 2023, according to a global Statista Consumer Insights survey with over 2 million participants.

    Are vegans statistically healthier?

    Yes, vegans are statistically healthier. According to observational studies, vegans have lower BMIs, cholesterol, and blood pressure and a lower risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. That said, those on unbalanced vegan diets may risk nutrient deficiencies like B12 and calcium. Vegan milk products and other fortified plant-based alternatives help round up a vegan diet and fill in missing nutrients.

    Is veganism increasing or decreasing?

    It's hard to say for certain whether veganism is increasing or decreasing, but interest in the movement is at an all-time high. The share of vegans worldwide is still 3% in 2024, but this year's Veganuary hit an all-time record, with over 1.8 million participants-more than in any previous edition since 2014.

    ReferencesClick to expand and view sources
    • Definition of Veganism (The Vegan Society)
    • Plant-Based Diet vs. Vegan Diet: What's the Difference? (Forks Over Knives)
    • Plant-Based, Vegetarian and Vegan Diets (Heart Foundation)
    • What Is the Flexitarian Diet? (Cleveland Clinic)
    • Share of People Trying to Eat Less Meat in 56 Countries & Territories Worldwide, as of February 2024 (Statista)
    • The Reducetarian Guide (Reducetarian Foundation)
    • Change in Meat Consumption in Comparison to the Previous Year in Selected European Countries in 2023 (Statista)
    • Most Popular New Year's Resolutions in the United States for 2024 (Statista)
    • How Many People Took Part in Veganuary 2024? The Results Explained (Veganuary)
    • More Than a Quarter of Veganuary 2024 Participants Are Still Vegan (Plant-Based News)
    • 80% of the Top Meat Producers Are Now Making Vegan Food (Livekindly)
    • Value of The Worldwide Vegan Food Market from 2023 to 2024 (Statista)
    • Plant-based Foods Market to Hit $162 Billion in Next Decade, Projects Bloomberg Intelligence (Bloomberg)
    • Revenue of The Milk Substitutes Market Worldwide from 2019 to 2029 (Statista)
    • Sales Value of the Plant-Based Food Alternatives Market in the United States in 2023, by Category (Statista)
    • Share of Consumers Who Regularly Consume Meat Substitutes Worldwide in 2023, by Country (Statista)
    • Sales Value of Plant-Based Meat Substitutes in Selected Countries in Europe in 2022 (Statista)
    • Growth Rate of Meat Substitutes Worldwide in 2022, by Region (Statista)
    • U.S. Retail Market Insights for the Plant-Based Industry (Good Food Institute)
    • Worldwide Meat Substitute Revenue in 2023, by Country (Statista)
    • Asia Leads the Plant-Based Milk Boom (Statista)
    • Meat Alternatives Consumed in the United States in 2023 (Statista)
    • Consumption Frequency of Meat Alternatives in Selected European Countries in 2023, by Type (Statista)
    • Revealed: The Top 7 Most Most Googled Vegan Brands in the World (Vegonomist)
    • U.S. Plant-Based Milks - Statistics & Facts (Statista)
    • Veganuary Signed Up Record 400,000 People, Campaign Reveals (The Guardian)
    • An Exploration into Diets Around the World (Ipsos)
    • Types of Diets and Nutritional Habits Followed in the European Union (EU-27) in 2023/24 (Statista)
    • Share of Vegan Consumers in 56 Countries & Territories Worldwide, as of February 2024 (Statista)
    • Do You Follow Vegan Nutrition Rules? (EU) (Statista)
    • Do you consider yourself to be vegan? (Statista)
    • Do You Follow Vegan Nutrition Rules? (UK) (Statista)
    • Share of Adults Following a Vegan Diet in the European Union (EU-27) in 2023/24 (Statista)
    • How Many Former Vegetarians and Vegans Are There? (Faunalytics)
    • Share of Consumers Who Regularly Consume Meat Substitutes in the United States in 2023, by Generation (Statista)
    • Share of Consumers Who Regularly Consume Meat Substitutes in the European Union (EU-27) in 2024, by Generation (Statista)
    • Share of Consumers Who Regularly Consume Meat Substitutes in the European Union (EU-27) in 2024, by Gender (Statista)
    • In-depth: Why Black Americans Are The Fastest-Growing Vegan Demographic in The Country (ABC Action News)
    • Gallup Poll Reveals Surprising Insights into Demographics of US Vegans (Vegonomist)
    • Which, If Any, of The Following Motivates Your Current Eating Habits? (Statista)
    • Leading Motivations that Led People to Take Part in Veganuary Worldwide in 2022 to 2023 (Statista)
    • Zoonotic Diseases: Disease Transmitted from Animals to Humans (MN Department of Health)
    • How Many Animals Get Slaughtered Every Day? (Our World in Data)
    • New Study Exposes Staggering Wild Caught Fish Numbers (Compassion in World Farming)
    • How Many Animals Can You Save by Going Vegan? (The Humane League)
    • How Many Animals Does A Plant-Based Diet Spare? (Faunalytics)
    • More than 80 Billion Land Animals Are Slaughtered for Meat Every Year (Our World in Data)
    • A Look at Calorie Sources in the American Diet (USDA)
    • If the World Adopted a Plant-Based Diet, We Would Reduce Global Agricultural Land Use from 4 to 1 Billion Hectares (Our World in Data)
    • Does Veganism Kill More Animals? The Argument, Decoded (Sentient Media)
    • Food Production is Responsible for One-Quarter of the World's Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Our World in Data)
    • How Waste Mismanagement Drives Biodiversity Loss and Accelerates Climate Risk (FAIRR)
    • Stop Using Antibiotics in Healthy Animals to Prevent the Spread of Antibiotic Resistance (WHO)
    • Plague (National Organization for Rare Disorders)
    • 1918 Influenza Pandemic (Spanish Flu) (Cleveland Clinic)
    • Excessive Animal Farming Created perfect Storm' for Pandemics, Scientist Says (Medical News Today)
    • Not All Plant-Based Diets Are Healthy (Harvard)
    • EPIC-Oxford: Lifestyle Characteristics and Nutrient Intakes in a Cohort of 33 883 Meat-Eaters and 31 546 Non Meat-Eaters in the UK (Cambridge)
    • Health Effects of Vegan Diets (ScienceDirect)
    • Two Decades of Studies Suggest Health Benefits Associated with Plant-Based Diets (ScienceDaily)
    • Health Benefits of a Plant-Based Dietary Pattern and Implementation in Healthcare and Clinical Practice (SageJournals)
    • Common Nutritional Shortcomings in Vegetarians and Vegans (MDPI)
    • Vegetarian and Vegan Diets: Benefits and Drawbacks (Oxford Academic)
    • Vegan Nutrition Guide, by Virginia Messina MPH, RD (Vegan.com)
    • A Summary of Faunalytics' Study of Current and Former Vegetarians and Vegans (Faunalytics)
    • 30 Million U.S. Adults Have Tried Vegetarianism or Veganism (Faunalytics)
    • Bringing Back Former Vegans and Vegetarians: An Obstacle Analysis (Faunalytics)
    • EPIC-Oxford - Cancer Epidemiology Unit (CEU) (Oxford Population Health)
    • Do 84% of Vegans and Vegetarians Really Go Back to Eating Meat? (Plant Based News)

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