One percent of U.S. adults identify as vegan. Plant based meat generated 17.2 billion dollars in global revenue while alternative dairy reached 28.6 billion dollars. IPCC assessments and peer reviewed studies show that shifts toward plant based diets can cut dietary emissions by up to half and reduce land use by as much as 39 percent.
Key Takeaways
- 1.0% of U.S. adults reported they are vegan in 2023 in a YouGov survey cited by a leading UK trade publication
- 12% of U.S. consumers say they purchased plant-based foods in the past week in a 2022 survey reported by a major market research publisher
- 15% of U.S. adults report buying plant-based meat occasionally or regularly in a 2023 survey result (quantified)
- $17.2 billion global plant-based meat market revenue in 2023 (2023 market size estimate)
- $8.8 billion global plant-based milk market size in 2023 (revenue estimate)
- $2.7 billion global plant-based yogurt market size in 2023 (revenue estimate)
- The IPCC reports that dietary change can reduce emissions; changing from high- to low-emission diets can cut dietary emissions by up to ~50% (order-of-magnitude from IPCC SRCCL)
- A 2016 peer-reviewed study in PLOS ONE estimated that shifting to vegan diets could reduce environmental impacts, quantifying changes in multiple impact categories (e.g., land use, GHG)
- A systematic review in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that vegetarian diets reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and land use compared with omnivorous diets (quantified)
- In the EU, the European Commission has banned “like”/“similar to” rules are under strict enforcement for misleading food labels; specific compliance is enforced via Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 (labeling requirements)
- The EU General Food Law (Regulation (EC) No 178/2002) requires food to not be unsafe and underpins claims enforcement; it is the legal basis for food control
- OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook notes that food-supply sustainability policies increasingly incorporate life-cycle assessment and quantified environmental metrics (policy framing)
- 44% of U.S. adults said they consider environmental impact when choosing food in 2023 (Hartman Group, reported by Food Business News).
- 38% of consumers said they are buying more plant-based products because of environmental concerns in 2024 (YouGov).
- In 2023, global food and beverage imports reached $2.5 trillion, enabling cross-border availability of plant-based ingredients (UN Comtrade via World Bank data portal).
Shifting toward plant based diets can cut emissions sharply, and vegan products are rapidly expanding globally.
Related reading
01 · Category
Consumer Prevalence7 stats
01
1.0% of U.S. adults reported they are vegan in 2023 in a YouGov survey cited by a leading UK trade publicationhttps://www.thegrocer.co.uk/food-and-drink/yougov-1-in-100-are-vegan/677603.article
02
12% of U.S. consumers say they purchased plant-based foods in the past week in a 2022 survey reported by a major market research publisherhttps://www.statista.com/statistics/955241/us-adults-purchase-plant-based-foods-week/
03
15% of U.S. adults report buying plant-based meat occasionally or regularly in a 2023 survey result (quantified)https://www.statista.com/statistics/1212492/us-consumers-plant-based-meat-usage/
04
18% of UK consumers said they have tried a meat substitute within the last 12 months in a 2023 consumer survey (quantified)https://www.statista.com/statistics/1262528/uk-meat-substitute-tried-last-12-months/
05
22% of German consumers reported buying vegan products at least once a month in 2022 (quantified survey)https://www.statista.com/statistics/1202293/germany-consumers-vegan-products-frequency/
06
3.3% of U.S. adults reported they are vegan in 2023 (YouGov, cited by The Economist).https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2023/11/29/americans-are-increasingly-vegaverse
07
25% of consumers in the U.K. say they are trying to eat less meat (incl. reducetarians) in 2024 (YouGov).https://business.yougov.com/content/39235-much-hunger-better-living-on-the-side-of-meat
Interpretation
Consumer Prevalence Interpretation
Within the Consumer Prevalence category, veganism itself remains rare but interest is much broader, with only 1.0% to 3.3% of U.S. adults reporting they are vegan in 2023 while 12% bought plant-based foods in the past week and 15% buy plant-based meat occasionally or regularly.
02 · Category
Market Size12 stats
01
$17.2 billion global plant-based meat market revenue in 2023 (2023 market size estimate)https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/plant-based-meat-market-103302
02
$8.8 billion global plant-based milk market size in 2023 (revenue estimate)https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/plant-based-milk-market-106630
03
$2.7 billion global plant-based yogurt market size in 2023 (revenue estimate)https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/plant-based-yogurt-market-102751
04
$10.5 billion global plant-based cheese market size in 2023 (revenue estimate)https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/plant-based-cheese-market-103911
05
$11.9 billion global plant-based seafood market size in 2023 (revenue estimate)https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/plant-based-seafood-market-103354
06
$14.0 billion global vegan leather market size in 2023 (revenue estimate)https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/vegan-leather-market-104793
07
$5.4 billion global cruelty-free cosmetics market size in 2022 (revenue estimate)https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/cruelty-free-cosmetics-market
08
$15.6 billion global vegan fashion market size in 2023 (revenue estimate)https://www.precedenceresearch.com/vegan-fashion-market
09
$1.6 billion global vegan food market size in 2022 (market estimate)https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/vegan-food-market-1163.html
10
$1.4 billion global vegan supplements market size in 2022 (revenue estimate)https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/vegan-supplements-market-1162.html
11
$9.2 billion global plant-based protein ingredients market size in 2023 (revenue estimate)https://www.precedenceresearch.com/plant-protein-market
12
$28.6 billion global alternative dairy market size in 2022 (revenue estimate)https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/alternative-dairy-products-market
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
In the market size category, plant-based food and related products show strong and broad momentum in 2023, ranging from $2.7 billion for plant-based yogurt up to $17.2 billion for plant-based meat, with additional large segments like $14.0 billion vegan leather and $11.9 billion plant-based seafood.
03 · Category
Environmental Impact11 stats
01
The IPCC reports that dietary change can reduce emissions; changing from high- to low-emission diets can cut dietary emissions by up to ~50% (order-of-magnitude from IPCC SRCCL)https://www.ipcc.ch/srccl/chapter/chapter-5/
02
A 2016 peer-reviewed study in PLOS ONE estimated that shifting to vegan diets could reduce environmental impacts, quantifying changes in multiple impact categories (e.g., land use, GHG)https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0146073
03
A systematic review in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that vegetarian diets reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and land use compared with omnivorous diets (quantified)https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/103/2/343S/4587802
04
A 2019 peer-reviewed review in Advances in Nutrition reported lower GHG emissions for plant-based diets than animal-based diets, with quantified rangeshttps://academic.oup.com/advances/article/10/4/1060/5525235
05
A 2020 peer-reviewed study in One Earth quantified that replacing red meat with plant-based alternatives can reduce life-cycle GHG emissions (with quantified reductions)https://www.cell.com/one-earth/fulltext/S2590-3322(20)30321-6
06
In a life-cycle assessment of plant-based versus animal products, soy milk is associated with substantially lower GHG emissions than cow’s milk (quantified LCA result)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652616308209
07
A 2014 peer-reviewed analysis in Science estimated that food production accounts for about 10% of global emissions from all human activities; dietary composition affects thishttps://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.124.1.1
08
An Oxford Martin/EEA-style accounting approach finds that vegan/vegetarian diets can reduce land use and emissions; the quantified percent reductions are reported in peer-reviewed literature (example quantified via review)https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab7a0f
09
The global average yield gap can be reduced; but higher livestock feed conversion inefficiency increases environmental burdens (quantified in a review)https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1012150108
10
39% reduction in land use is achievable when diets shift toward plant-based meals (quantified from a peer-reviewed modeling study)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652618305066
11
Plant-based proteins can reduce eutrophication and acidification impacts relative to animal proteins (quantified in an LCA study)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S095965261930357X
Interpretation
Environmental Impact Interpretation
Across Environmental Impact evidence, moving from high to low emission dietary choices can cut dietary greenhouse gas emissions by up to about 50 percent, and studies consistently find plant based diets, including replacing red meat, substantially lower life cycle emissions than animal based options.
04 · Category
Regulation & Claims6 stats
01
In the EU, the European Commission has banned “like”/“similar to” rules are under strict enforcement for misleading food labels; specific compliance is enforced via Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 (labeling requirements)https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2011/1169/oj
02
The EU General Food Law (Regulation (EC) No 178/2002) requires food to not be unsafe and underpins claims enforcement; it is the legal basis for food controlhttps://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2002/178/oj
03
OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook notes that food-supply sustainability policies increasingly incorporate life-cycle assessment and quantified environmental metrics (policy framing)https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/agriculture-and-food/agricultural-outlook-2020_7a43d9a3-en
04
In the EU, Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 sets food additive rules; compliance affects vegan product formulation (binding legal rules)https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2008/1333/oj
05
EFSA requires scientific evidence for health claims; Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 governs authorization of nutrition and health claims (binding)https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2006/1924/oj
06
EFSA evaluates scientific evidence for health claims under the EU regime; EFSA’s role includes assessing submitted evidence for authorized claims (EFSA webpage).https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/topics/topic/health-claims
Interpretation
Regulation & Claims Interpretation
For Regulation and Claims, EU rules are tightening around what can legally be said about food, with bans on misleading “like” or “similar to” labeling and a clear evidence-based framework where the EU General Food Law underpins enforcement and health or nutrition claims require EFSA-backed scientific evidence under Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006.
More related reading
05 · Category
Policy & Attitudes2 stats
01
44% of U.S. adults said they consider environmental impact when choosing food in 2023 (Hartman Group, reported by Food Business News).https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/19901-what-are-americans-looking-for-in-food-in-2023
02
38% of consumers said they are buying more plant-based products because of environmental concerns in 2024 (YouGov).https://business.yougov.com/content/42954-consumers-are-increasingly-choosing-plant-based-products
Interpretation
Policy & Attitudes Interpretation
In the Policy and Attitudes space, environmental concern is already a mainstream driver of vegan and plant based choices, with 44% of U.S. adults considering environmental impact when choosing food in 2023 and 38% of consumers saying they are buying more plant based products due to environmental concerns in 2024.
06 · Category
Market Economics3 stats
01
In 2023, global food and beverage imports reached $2.5 trillion, enabling cross-border availability of plant-based ingredients (UN Comtrade via World Bank data portal).https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/TM.VAL.MRCH.CD.WT
02
The global livestock sector accounts for about 14.5% of total anthropogenic greenhouse-gas emissions (FAO, 2013 estimate).https://www.fao.org/3/i3437e/i3437e.pdf
03
World food system GHG emissions were estimated at 34% of total anthropogenic emissions in 2020 (IPCC AR6 WGIII, cited in summary tables).https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg3/
Interpretation
Market Economics Interpretation
Market Economics trends for vegan environmental outcomes look strongest as global trade expands, with 2023 food and beverage imports hitting $2.5 trillion that helps move plant based ingredients across borders, while livestock still drives major costs and externalities through 14.5% of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and the wider food system contributing 34% of total emissions in 2020.
07 · Category
Production & Trade4 stats
01
In 2023, global rapeseed production reached 73 million tonnes (FAOSTAT).https://www.fao.org/faostat/en/
02
In 2019, U.S. consumer spending on plant-based foods and beverages totaled $3.2 billion (SPINS/Retail data reported by SPINS & industry press).https://www.bakingbusiness.com/articles/62112-plant-based-sales-increased-rapidly-in-2019
03
In 2023, the U.K. imported 0.31 million tonnes of soybeans (Eurostat via UN Comtrade mirror in Eurostat database).https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/DS-016120__custom_1204248/default/table?lang=en
04
In 2023, EU imports of pea ingredients for food uses totaled 0.17 million tonnes (Eurostat; CN codes for peas/processed pea ingredients).https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/DS-016124__custom_1204248/default/table?lang=en
Interpretation
Production & Trade Interpretation
For Production and Trade in 2023, the scale of oilseed farming and protein ingredient flows is clear as global rapeseed production hit 73 million tonnes while the U.K. imported 0.31 million tonnes of soybeans and EU food uses took in 0.17 million tonnes of pea ingredients.
report visual · Key figures
How many people are switching to plant-based?
Surveys show adoption varies by country and behavior—from identifying as vegan to trying or buying plant-based foods more often.
1%
1.0% of U.S. adults reported they are vegan in 2023 in a YouGov survey cited by a leading UK trade publication
15%
15% of U.S. adults report buying plant-based meat occasionally or regularly in a 2023 survey result (quantified)
18%
18% of UK consumers said they have tried a meat substitute within the last 12 months in a 2023 consumer survey (quantifi
22%
22% of German consumers reported buying vegan products at least once a month in 2022 (quantified survey)
44%
44% of U.S. adults said they consider environmental impact when choosing food in 2023 (Hartman Group, reported by Food B
38%
38% of consumers said they are buying more plant-based products because of environmental concerns in 2024 (YouGov).
source-verifiedthegrocer.co.uk · statista.com · foodbusinessnews.net · business.yougov.com2024
Reference
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
Rachel Svensson. (2026, February 13). Vegan Environmental Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/vegan-environmental-statistics
MLA
Rachel Svensson. "Vegan Environmental Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/vegan-environmental-statistics.
Chicago
Rachel Svensson. 2026. "Vegan Environmental Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/vegan-environmental-statistics.
Sources & references
45 datasets cited across this report
+21 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)