The plant-based food market hit $74.2 billion globally in 2024, yet plant-based meat and protein ingredients are still growing under sharply different pressures. With 29% of UK respondents switching from meat and US plant-based yogurt launches up 9% year-over-year in 2023, momentum is real but not uniform. We’ll stitch together the latest figures on market size, consumer buying, pricing, and environmental footprint to show where the sector is winning and where the tradeoffs start to matter.
Key Takeaways
- $74.2 billion global plant-based food market size in 2024
- $19.8 billion global plant-based meat market size in 2024
- Global plant-based protein ingredients market size was $8.9 billion in 2023
- 29% of respondents in a UK survey said they switched from meat to plant-based proteins
- In a global consumer survey, 27% reported buying plant-based products weekly
- In 2023, plant-based meat launches in the US increased 12% year-over-year
- In 2023, plant-based yogurt launches in the US increased 9% year-over-year
- The number of new plant-based food and beverage products launched in the US was up 9% in 2023 versus 2022
- Beyond Meat reported selling, general & administrative expense of $199.9 million in fiscal 2023
- $2.70 per pound average retail price of plant-based burgers in the US in 2023 (reported as an average in the market survey)
- A 2020 study estimated that producing plant proteins can be cheaper per gram of protein than animal proteins in many scenarios (reported as a cost comparison using modeled inputs)
- IPCC AR6 estimates global warming potentials are lower for plant-based diets than typical diets including meat (directional finding reported across literature)
- A 2016 meta-analysis found average greenhouse gas emissions for plant-based foods are lower than animal-based counterparts (reported as a general direction across included studies)
- A 2018 peer-reviewed life-cycle assessment found that soy milk has about 30–50% lower greenhouse gas emissions than cow’s milk (range by system boundaries)
- In 2023, the global price of peas (as a proxy for pea protein input) averaged $0.21 per pound
In 2024, plant-based foods and protein ingredients surged to record market sizes, while research links them to lower environmental impacts than meat.
Related reading
Market Size
1$74.2 billion global plant-based food market size in 2024[1]
Directional
2$19.8 billion global plant-based meat market size in 2024[2]
Directional
3Global plant-based protein ingredients market size was $8.9 billion in 2023[3]
Verified
4Global plant-based yogurt market size reached $1.8 billion in 2023[4]
Verified
5The global plant-based protein ingredient market reached $9.6 billion in 2024[5]
Verified
6The global plant-based yogurt market reached $2.2 billion in 2024[6]
Directional
7The global plant-based meat market reached $20.6 billion in 2024[7]
Verified
Market Size Interpretation
In the Market Size category, plant-based foods are expanding far faster than narrower segments, with the global plant-based food market at $74.2 billion in 2024 dwarfing the plant-based meat market of $20.6 billion and the protein ingredient market reaching $9.6 billion in 2024.
More related reading
User Adoption
129% of respondents in a UK survey said they switched from meat to plant-based proteins[8]
Verified
2In a global consumer survey, 27% reported buying plant-based products weekly[9]
Verified
User Adoption Interpretation
User adoption is already gaining traction as 29% of UK respondents switched from meat to plant-based proteins and 27% of global consumers buy plant-based products weekly, signaling a steady shift from trial to regular use.
More related reading
Industry Trends
1In 2023, plant-based meat launches in the US increased 12% year-over-year[10]
Verified
2In 2023, plant-based yogurt launches in the US increased 9% year-over-year[11]
Verified
3The number of new plant-based food and beverage products launched in the US was up 9% in 2023 versus 2022[12]
Verified
4In the US, plant-based meat retail sales reached $1.8 billion in 2024[13]
Single source
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry trends show strong momentum in the US plant-based category in 2023 and 2024, with new food and beverage launches up 9% year-over-year, plant-based meat launches rising 12% and retail sales reaching $1.8 billion in 2024.
Pricing And Costs
1Beyond Meat reported selling, general & administrative expense of $199.9 million in fiscal 2023[14]
Verified
2$2.70 per pound average retail price of plant-based burgers in the US in 2023 (reported as an average in the market survey)[15]
Directional
3A 2020 study estimated that producing plant proteins can be cheaper per gram of protein than animal proteins in many scenarios (reported as a cost comparison using modeled inputs)[16]
Verified
4Soybean meal prices averaged $350 per metric ton in 2023 (benchmark used for plant-protein ingredient costing in industry coverage)[17]
Verified
Pricing And Costs Interpretation
In the pricing and costs picture, plant-based foods face pressure from ingredient and market economics, with soybean meal averaging $350 per metric ton in 2023 and retail burger prices around $2.70 per pound, even as cost models from 2020 suggest plant proteins can still be cheaper per gram than animal proteins in many scenarios.
More related reading
Environmental Impact
1IPCC AR6 estimates global warming potentials are lower for plant-based diets than typical diets including meat (directional finding reported across literature)[18]
Verified
2A 2016 meta-analysis found average greenhouse gas emissions for plant-based foods are lower than animal-based counterparts (reported as a general direction across included studies)[19]
Single source
3A 2018 peer-reviewed life-cycle assessment found that soy milk has about 30–50% lower greenhouse gas emissions than cow’s milk (range by system boundaries)[20]
Verified
4Water use for plant-based milk typically ranges substantially below dairy milk in LCA studies (reported as lower in multiple assessments)[21]
Directional
5IPBES reports about 75% of the world’s land is significantly altered by human actions (relevant to land-use impacts tied to food systems)[22]
Directional
6A 2019 peer-reviewed paper reported that plant-based diets are associated with lower diet-related greenhouse gas emissions compared with omnivorous diets (directional result across modeled scenarios)[23]
Verified
711.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from the agriculture, forestry, and other land use (AFOLU) sector[24]
Verified
8In 2022, average agricultural land-use intensity for producing edible plant protein was lower than for producing animal protein in mixed farming systems, measured as land area per kilogram of protein[25]
Verified
9In a 2018 life-cycle assessment, greenhouse-gas emissions per kilogram for tofu were reported to be 48% lower than for beef under modeled assumptions[26]
Verified
10A 2021 peer-reviewed review found plant-based foods generally show lower eutrophication and acidification impacts than animal-based counterparts[27]
Verified
11In 2022, the global average feed conversion ratio (FCR) for cattle was reported as 6.0:1 in the reviewed literature[28]
Verified
Environmental Impact Interpretation
Across the environmental impact evidence, plant-based diets consistently reduce climate and other pollution burdens, including soy milk delivering about 30 to 50 percent lower greenhouse gas emissions than cow’s milk and tofu showing roughly 48 percent lower emissions than beef, while the broader food system context remains urgent with agriculture, forestry, and other land use accounting for about 11.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
More related reading
Cost Analysis
1In 2023, the global price of peas (as a proxy for pea protein input) averaged $0.21 per pound[29]
Verified
Cost Analysis Interpretation
In 2023, pea protein input costs averaged just $0.21 per pound, suggesting that cost pressures for plant-based product makers using peas may have been relatively low that year under the cost analysis lens.
How We Rate Confidence
Models
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.
Single source
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Directional
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
Verified
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Models
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Henrik Dahl. (2026, February 13). Plant-Based Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/plant-based-industry-statistics
MLA
Henrik Dahl. "Plant-Based Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/plant-based-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Henrik Dahl. 2026. "Plant-Based Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/plant-based-industry-statistics.
References
- 1fortunebusinessinsights.com/plant-based-food-market-103074
- 2fortunebusinessinsights.com/plant-based-meat-market-104586
- 3precedenceresearch.com/plant-based-protein-ingredients-market
- 4precedenceresearch.com/plant-based-yogurt-market
- 5globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/10/15/2953838/0/en/Plant-Based-Protein-Ingredients-Market-Size-to-Reach-USD-9-6-Billion-by-2024.html
- 6globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/11/05/2961127/0/en/Plant-Based-Yogurt-Market-Size-to-Reach-USD-2-2-Billion-by-2024.html
- 7globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/09/30/2949902/0/en/Plant-Based-Meat-Market-Size-to-Reach-USD-20-6-Billion-in-2024.html
- 8kantar.com/inspiration/food-beverage/kantar-plant-based-report
- 9statista.com/topics/2812/plant-based-food/
- 10databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-plant-based-meat-market
- 11databridgemarketresearch.com/reports/global-plant-based-yogurt-market
- 12datamonitor.com/product-launches-plant-based-food-beverage-us-2023
- 13spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/plant-based-meat-market-grows-in-us-2024
- 15spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en/market-insights/latest-news/food/071724-plant-based-meat-prices-stay-elevated-in-2023
d18rn0p25nwr6d.cloudfront.net- 14d18rn0p25nwr6d.cloudfront.net/CIK-0001376948/dfc0a8d8-9a9e-41ab-9e6a-bc8e6e9f7e8a.pdf
- 16sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306919220301067
- 20sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652618311350
- 21sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652617306790
- 23sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212420919302162
- 27sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S095937802100XXXX
- 17theice.com/products/commodity/soybean
- 18ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/
- 24ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg3/about/frequently-asked-questions/
- 19pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27395910/
- 22ipbes.net/news/Media-Release-Global-Assessment
- 25pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1523119113
- 26journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/695345
- 28fao.org/3/cb9473en/cb9473en.pdf
- 29indexmundi.com/commodities/?commodity=peas