25 Latest Vegan Industry Statistics for the UK (2024)

Plant-based diets are becoming increasingly popular. These UK vegan statistics reveal why the lifestyle is attractive and how many Brits follow it.

UK Vegan Industry Statistics & Facts

1. 4% of the UK population described themselves as a vegan in 2022. (Statista)
2. In 2014, 150,000 people (0.25% of the population) followed a vegan lifestyle but by 2016 the figure increased to 276,000 people (0.46% of the population). (The Goodness Project)
3. The UK’s 600,000 vegans save around 22,200,000 animals annually through their diet. (Food matters Live)
4. One in three Brits has stopped or reduced their meat consumption. (The Guardian)
5. In 2019, one in five (19%) Brits said they would consider going vegan. (The Guardian)
6. However, 61% of Brits say they are unlikely to switch to a plant-based diet. (BNF)
7. The UK meat-free market is approximately £437m million, the largest in Europe. (Statista)
8. 5% of Brits bought vegan items in 2021. (Appinio)
9. Sainsbury’s predicts vegetarians and vegans will make up a quarter of the population by 2025. (Sainsbury’s)

UK Vegan Attitudes

10. 4% of vegans are 30-39-year-olds, followed by 20-20-year-olds (3%) and 40-49-year-olds (3%). (Statista)
11. 125,000 people in the UK took the 2021 Vegenuary pledge to eat only plant-based food in January. (The Guardian)
12. 59% said they wouldn’t try plant-based meat substitutes because they didn’t think they would taste good, 37% felt the products were too processed, and 29% said vegan options were too expensive. (UBS)
13. 42% of UK vegans said the year 2018 was the year they decided to make the change. (GlobalData)
14. In a study of 1,040 British adults, 51% said animal welfare was the main reason behind switching from meat to plant-based foods, 49% cited health reasons, and 31% were concerned for the environment. (Mintel)
15. 56% of UK adults say they check if toiletries are cruelty-free and buy vegan products. (Opinion Matters)
16. 69% of parents support more vegan meals in schools. (The Vegan Society)

The UK Vegan Market

17. Revenue from vegetarian food and drink products and plant-based alternatives hit £1.1 billion in 2022. (Statista)
18. In 2019, approximately one-quarter of new food products introduced in the UK were vegan, as opposed to one in six in 2018. (Mintel)
19. Tesco revealed its vegan meat sales increased by 300% in 2020. (BBC)
20. A survey in 2019 found that almost a quarter of Brits consume plant milk, an increase of 19% from 2018. (Mintel)
21. In 2020, 62% of adults said they had bought plant milk. (The Grocer)
22. Waterstones recorded over 10,000 books with the word ‘vegan’ in the title, compared to just 944 in 2018. (Waterstones)
23. In 2021, Deliveroo said the number of vegan restaurants on the food-deliver app more than doubled, with 12,000 restaurants offering vegan-friendly options. (Deliveroo)
24. People in Brighton, Bristol, London, Manchester and Edinburgh placed the most vegan takeaway orders. (Deliveroo)
25. The amount of Brits eating a vegan meal for lunch or dinner rose by 46% between 2019 and 2020. (Premier Foods)