Vegan Statistics: Facts, Benefits & Global Trends

The numbers behind our food

Explore the statistics behind veganism, from global trends and animal welfare to human health and the environment.

Disclaimer: Disclaimer: The statistics presented on this page are compiled from third-party sources. As data on veganism and the global vegan movement remain incomplete in some areas, figures may vary between sources. We aim to provide the most reliable and up-to-date information available and will continue to update this page as new evidence emerges.

Diet Definitions

Diet	Description
Vegan	Avoids all animal products, including meat, fish, dairy, eggs and honey.
Vegetarian	Avoids meat and fish but typically consumes dairy products and eggs.
Pescatarian	Avoids meat from land animals but eats fish and seafood, often alongside plant-based foods, eggs and dairy.
Flexitarian	Primarily follows a plant-based diet but occasionally eats meat, fish or other animal products.
Omnivorous	Eats a wide variety of foods, including both plant-based foods and animal products such as meat, fish, eggs and dairy.

How Many Vegans Are There in the World?

Determining the number of vegans worldwide is challenging, as estimates vary considerably depending on survey methods, definitions and the countries surveyed. A 2018 Ipsos survey, covering 28 countries, found that 3 per cent of respondents identified as vegan. Applied to the world’s population, a figure of this magnitude would represent hundreds of millions of people.

According to World Population Review, the proportion of people identifying as vegan varies substantially between countries. While veganism accounts for a relatively small share of the population in many places, some countries report considerably higher levels. These differences reflect variations in dietary habits, cultural traditions and the way surveys define and measure veganism.

Research from a UK-based social science research organisation has also found that around 1 to 3 per cent of respondents identify as vegan in many countries surveyed, although some countries stand out. Based on estimates ranging from 1 to 3 per cent of the global population, the number of vegans worldwide could be approximately 80 to 250 million people.

Surveys in individual countries provide further insight into these dietary patterns. A 2018 Gallup poll found that 5 per cent of American adults identified as vegetarian and 2 per cent as vegan. In the wider Ipsos survey, 5 per cent of respondents identified as vegetarian, 3 per cent as vegan and a further 3 per cent as pescatarian. The survey also found that around one in five respondents in India identified as vegetarian.

Taken together, these findings reveal a varied and evolving picture of global dietary choices. Veganism represents one part of a wider movement towards plant-based eating, while the growing interest in reducing animal product consumption points to the potential for significant changes in how food is produced and consumed worldwide.

Estimated global vegan population	Vegan	Vegetarian	Pescatarian	Flexitarian	Omnivorous
80–250 million people	3%	5%	3%	14%	73%

Sources and further reading

Viva! — Statistics about veganism
Ipsos — An exploration into diets around the world (2018)
Our World in Data — What share of people say they are vegetarian, vegan, or flexitarian?

Why Do People Go Vegan?

People choose a vegan lifestyle for different reasons, from concern for animals and their welfare to protecting the environment and improving their health. Research suggests that animal ethics is a particularly common motivation, although many people are driven by a combination of factors. The figures below highlight the motivations reported by 329 vegan consumers in Germany, as documented in a 2016 study published in Appetite.

Why Do People Go Vegan?

The main motivations reported by vegan participants in a German study.

Animal-related motives 89.7%

Health and personal well-being 69.3%

Environmental protection 46.8%

Source: Janssen et al. (2016), Motives of consumers following a vegan diet and their attitudes towards animal agriculture. Read the research. The study surveyed 329 vegan consumers in Germany. Participants could report multiple motivations, so percentages do not add up to 100%.

Why Is Veganism Better for Animals?

Animals are sentient beings who feel pain, fear and joy. Veganism helps reduce their suffering by choosing kindness over cruelty and recognising their right to live free from exploitation.

More than 66 billion chickens are reared worldwide for meat every year, their lives shaped by an industry focused on rapid growth and maximum production.

In the UK, more than one billion chickens are killed annually, according to figures reported by The Humane League in 2024. Although conventional battery cages are banned, enriched cages remain in use. These cages offer limited improvements, but hens still lack sufficient space to fully spread and flap their wings.

The egg industry also kills billions of male chicks because they cannot lay eggs and are considered commercially worthless. A 2024 estimate from the University of Copenhagen put the global figure at approximately seven billion day-old male chicks killed each year. This practice occurs across all types of egg production, including free-range and organic systems.

Selective breeding has pushed broiler chickens to grow at an extraordinary rate. Their bodies can become four to five times heavier than those of egg-laying hens, while their breast muscles grow up to eight times faster. Such rapid growth can cause skeletal deformities, mobility problems and severe pain.

In 2025, approximately 14.5 billion eggs were consumed. Behind this demand, millions of male chicks are killed each year, including an estimated 40–45 million in the UK, through methods such as gassing.

The lives of female chickens are also cut short. Hens bred for egg production are commonly slaughtered at around 18 months old, when their egg output declines. Chickens raised for meat are killed at just six to seven weeks of age, despite a natural lifespan that can reach five to eight years, and sometimes 12 years.

In 2024, according to data from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), approximately 1.49 billion pigs were slaughtered worldwide for meat.

Fewer than 3 per cent of pigs in the UK spend their entire lives outdoors. Around 96 per cent are raised or finished indoors, including pigs born outdoors, in overcrowded, barren pens that offer little opportunity to explore, forage or engage in natural behaviours. Only around 4 per cent live outdoors throughout their lives.

An estimated 70–80 per cent of pigs undergo tail docking, a procedure intended to reduce tail biting in intensive farming systems. Around 60 per cent of breeding sows are confined in farrowing crates during birth and early nursing.

Most pigs raised for meat are slaughtered at just five to six months old. Breeding sows are typically killed after three to five litters, at around three years of age, despite pigs having a natural lifespan of up to 20 years.

According to Compassion in Food Business, pregnant sows have traditionally been confined in narrow metal cages known as sow stalls for much of their 16-week pregnancy. Although sow stalls are prohibited in the UK, Norway and Sweden, their use has been restricted across the European Union.

According to the Campaign for the Abolition of the Fur Trade (CAWF), sows produce an average of 2.3 litters per year and spend approximately 80 days annually confined in farrowing crates. These restrictive enclosures allow them to stand up and lie down but prevent them from turning around freely or exploring their surroundings. In 2021, the severe restriction of movement imposed by farrowing crates was described as more extreme than that associated with other forms of livestock confinement in European farming.

In 2022, 46,041 male calves aged two months or younger were slaughtered in abattoirs in the UK. A further 33,451 calves of the same age were killed on farms.

Dairy cows endure repeated pregnancies and the distress of having their calves taken away, often shortly after birth. Many develop painful conditions such as lameness and mastitis before being slaughtered, their bodies worn down by years of intensive milk production.

Male dairy calves are frequently considered of little economic value because they cannot produce milk. As a result, tens of thousands are killed every year, despite being young animals with the potential to live much longer.

Cattle raised for beef are typically slaughtered at around 22 to 23 months old, while dairy cows are often sent to slaughter at approximately six years of age, when declining milk yields, infertility or chronic health problems make them less profitable.

Cows can naturally live for 15 to 20 years or longer, and some rescued cows in sanctuaries reach their 30s. Yet many farmed cows have only a fraction of this potential lifespan.

According to 2021 data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), approximately 2.6 million cattle were slaughtered in the UK for meat.

Selective breeding and intensive production systems have pushed dairy cows to produce far more milk than they naturally would. Modern dairy cows can produce up to ten times the milk needed to feed their calves, placing considerable demands on their bodies.

UK dairy cows now produce an average of around 22 litres of milk per day, and milk yields have increased substantially over recent decades. High-yielding cows are often slaughtered at around six years old, when declining productivity, chronic lameness or reproductive problems make continued production less profitable.

According to Faunalytics, approximately 91 million tonnes of fish were killed globally in 2020, illustrating the enormous scale of human exploitation of aquatic animals.

According to a 2022 report by the Environment Agency, 74 per cent of England’s salmon rivers were considered at risk, reflecting concerns about their ecological condition and ability to sustain healthy salmon populations.

Around 4.4 billion shellfish are killed for human consumption every year, excluding those caught unintentionally as bycatch.

According to WWF’s 2021 Living Planet Report, monitored global freshwater fish populations declined by an average of 76 per cent between 1970 and 2018, highlighting the severe pressure on freshwater ecosystems.

A 2021 report by Oceana found that only around one-third of the UK’s major fish populations were in a healthy state and not being overfished.

More than 50 million farmed fish are raised in the UK, confined in tanks, ponds or sea cages where overcrowding, disease, injuries and stress can compromise their welfare before slaughter.

Great Britain remains a major user of animals in scientific research. In 2023, 2.68 million procedures involving living animals were carried out. Although the overall number of procedures has generally declined since 2015, millions of procedures continue to take place every year.

Around 3 per cent of experimental procedures in Great Britain in 2024 were classified as severe, meaning they involved a high level of pain, suffering, distress or lasting harm. The remaining 97 per cent were classified as non-recovery, sub-threshold, mild or moderate.

In 2021, China removed mandatory animal-testing requirements for certain imported general cosmetics, subject to specific conditions and exemptions.

Public opposition to animal testing for cosmetics remains substantial. A 2021 YouGov survey found that 73 per cent of Britons opposed testing cosmetics on animals. Another study reported that 63 per cent of consumers intended to buy cosmetic products that had not been tested on animals.

Why Is Veganism Better for the Environment?

Animal agriculture is a major driver of climate change, deforestation, water pollution and biodiversity loss. Choosing a vegan lifestyle helps reduce our environmental impact and protect the planet for future generations.

FOOD & THE PLANET

Environmental Impact by Diet

Compare the estimated environmental footprints of six dietary groups.

Greenhouse gas emissions

kg CO₂-equivalents per person per day · standardised to 2,000 kcal

Vegan

2.47

Vegetarian

4.16

Fish-eater

4.74

Low meat-eater

5.37

Medium meat-eater

7.04

High meat-eater

10.24

Vegan diets had an estimated 75.9% lower greenhouse gas footprint than high-meat diets in this study.

The expansion of agriculture is a major cause of forest destruction worldwide. The FAO attributes almost 90 per cent of global deforestation to agricultural activities. This includes clearing forests for cattle pasture and cultivating crops such as soya and maize, which are widely used in animal feed production.

Research published by Alves et al. in October 2024 examined dietary patterns in ten European countries. Meat products accounted for 40 per cent of food-related greenhouse gas emissions and 53.1 per cent of land use. Dairy contributed another 18.2 per cent of emissions and 13.7 per cent of land use. Together, these categories represented just 6.3 per cent of all products consumed, including drinks.

Animal agriculture requires vast areas of land, both for grazing and for producing feed. Our World in Data estimates that these activities occupy around four-fifths of the world's agricultural land. This extensive land demand reduces the space available for forests, natural habitats and other ecosystems.

Choosing plant-based milk can also reduce the environmental impact of everyday food choices. Comparative data compiled by Our World in Data estimate that one litre of cow's milk produces around 3.2 kg of greenhouse gas emissions and requires approximately 628 litres of water. The corresponding estimates for soya milk are about 1 kg of emissions and 28 litres of water per litre of milk.

Replacing animal-derived foods with plant-based alternatives offers an important opportunity to reduce food-related emissions. Research by Matthew N. Hayek and Oscar R. W. Wolfson, published in 2022, explored how changes in food production and consumption could influence future greenhouse gas emissions. The benefits of dietary change depend on the foods replaced and the assumptions used in each model.

The environmental cost of livestock production extends beyond climate emissions. Land used for grazing and growing animal feed could otherwise support wildlife habitats and natural vegetation. The scale of this land demand makes food production an important factor in determining how much space remains for nature.

Wildlife faces growing pressure from human activities, with approximately one million species threatened with extinction worldwide. The expansion of animal agriculture can intensify this crisis by destroying habitats, clearing forests, contaminating ecosystems and contributing to climate change. These pressures undermine the conditions that wild species need to survive.

Individual lifestyle changes can also have different environmental benefits. A study published in Environmental Research Letters in 2017 compared several personal actions and found that dietary choices can have a particularly significant environmental impact. The findings highlighted the potential importance of eating patterns alongside measures such as recycling, reducing household energy use and washing clothes at lower temperatures.

A 2016 study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences modelled the potential consequences of changing global dietary patterns. Under its plant-based diet scenarios, the researchers projected substantial public health and environmental benefits by 2050, including fewer premature deaths, food-related greenhouse gas emissions reductions of up to around 70 per cent, and economic gains associated with lower healthcare costs and reduced climate damages.

FOOD & THE PLANET

Cow's milk has a higher environmental impact than plant-based milks

Greenhouse gas emissions Land use Water use

Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO₂eq)

Land use (m²)

Water use (L)

Cow's milk

3.2

9.0

628

Rice milk

1.2

0.3

270

Soya milk

1.0

0.7

Oat milk

0.9

0.8

Almond milk

0.7

0.5

371

Source: Poore and Nemecek, 2018.

Why Is Veganism Better for Health?

A well-planned vegan diet can nourish the body with the nutrients it needs while helping reduce the risk of conditions such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes. By choosing a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds, small changes to everyday meals can make a meaningful difference to long-term health.

In the UK, unhealthy eating patterns were linked to an estimated 125,000 deaths in 2022. Among these, approximately 22,900 deaths were associated with inadequate intake of nutritious plant foods, while around 49,000 were linked to excessive consumption of dairy products, red meat and processed meat.

Findings from the Adventist Health Study-2 indicate that cancer risk differs across dietary patterns. Compared with meat-eaters, vegetarians had an 8 per cent lower overall cancer risk, while vegans had a 16 per cent reduction. For cancers affecting women specifically, the reported reduction among vegans reached 34 per cent.

A 2023 analysis by the Office of Health Economics examined the potential financial and health benefits of a nationwide shift to plant-based eating in England. The model estimated that universal adoption could save the NHS approximately £6.7 billion annually, prevent 2.1 million cases of disease and generate more than 170,000 additional quality-adjusted life years.

Research from Harvard University, published in 2023, followed more than 100,000 participants over three decades. People whose eating habits more closely matched a sustainable dietary pattern, with greater emphasis on plant foods, had a 25 per cent lower risk of death from chronic diseases.

Evidence also links the balance between plant and animal protein intake with cardiovascular health. In a large study involving more than 70,000 participants, people consuming more plant protein and less animal protein had lower risks of death from cardiovascular causes. Compared with those consuming the most animal protein, their risks of dying from heart disease, heart attacks and strokes were reported to be 27, 28 and 28 per cent lower, respectively.

In a 2022 YouGov survey, 70 per cent of respondents following a vegan diet reported that their health had improved since making the change.

A survey published by The Vegan Society in 2021 also explored self-reported changes after adopting a vegan diet. Participants described improvements in several areas: 56 per cent reported better digestion, 55 per cent said they slept better and 53 per cent experienced increased energy. Additionally, 52 per cent reported improvements in their ability to walk or run, 34 per cent noticed faster recovery between exercise sessions and 31 per cent said they could lift heavier weights.

Reviews examining vegetarian and vegan diets have found associations with healthier cholesterol levels and a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. Across the studies cited, reductions in heart disease risk ranged from 18 to 41 per cent, although results varied according to dietary patterns and study methods.

An analysis combining data from more than 150,000 people reported that vegans had a 75 per cent lower risk of hypertension and up to a 55 per cent lower risk of heart disease. These findings describe associations observed in the analysed populations and should not be interpreted as proof that diet alone accounts for the differences.

Research in the United States has also linked high red meat consumption with type 2 diabetes. In one large study, people in the highest red meat consumption group had a 49 per cent greater risk of developing the condition than those in the lowest consumption group.

Another analysis involving more than 600,000 people found an association between animal protein intake and type 2 diabetes risk. Each additional 20 grams of animal protein consumed daily was linked to a 7 per cent higher risk. Replacing 20 grams of animal protein with plant protein was associated with a 20 per cent lower risk.

A large UK cohort study found differences in overall cancer risk between dietary groups. Compared with meat-eaters, the reported risk was 12 per cent lower among fish-eaters, 11 per cent lower among vegetarians and 19 per cent lower among vegans.

Sources & References

Animal Welfare References

Environmental References

Health & Nutrition References

Curious how much water, land, grain and CO₂ you can save, and how many animal lives you can spare by choosing a vegan lifestyle?

Going vegan saves each month

See the estimated environmental impact of going vegan based on the number of people and months.

Number of people

Number of months

30 animal lives Animals saved

84 M² of forest Forest preserved

273 KG of CO₂ CO₂ avoided

124,917 litres of water Water saved

543 KG of grain Grain saved

By making a few simple changes to our eating habits, we can lead healthier, more sustainable lives and help build a world where compassion and kindness are shown to all animals.

Why Go Vegan?

Explore the powerful benefits for your health, animals, and our planet.

How to Go Vegan?

Step-by-step guidance to help you make the transition easy and sustainable.

How to Stay Vegan?

Practical tips for making veganism part of everyday life.

Vegan Statistics

The numbers behind our food

Diet Definitions

How Many Vegans Are There in the World?