Jane and I were talking about the demographics of vegans the other day. When we go out to eat here in the Los Angeles area, we're always a bit surprized at the number of males in the restaurants we frequent. It's not that men can't be vegan, but we seem to know many more women who are veg*n. Poking around the internet I found the following facts on veganism and thought I'd share them with you all.
Vegan demographics
Most likely to be female and under 35.
| Gender: |
Vegans |
UK Vegans |
USA Vegans |
| Male |
33% |
36% |
22% |
| Female |
67% |
64% |
78% |
| Age: |
Vegans |
UK Vegans |
USA Vegans |
| 16-24 |
21% |
14% |
36% |
| 25-34 |
40% |
39% |
44% |
| 35-44 |
25% |
32% |
11% |
| 45-54 |
10% |
11% |
7% |
| 55+ |
4% |
4% |
2% |
Why vegan?
87% of people are vegan for ethical/moral reasons.
|
Vegans |
UK Vegans |
USA Vegans |
| Dietary/health |
11% |
9% |
19% |
| Ethical/moral |
87% |
90% |
77% |
| Spiritual/religious |
2% |
1% |
4% |
When did you become vegan?
78% of vegans went vegan between the ages of 16 and 34, with 52% between the ages of 16 and 24. The average (mean) age for turning vegan is 24.1, although the most frequent ages are 19, 20 and 21. US vegans generally turned vegan younger (mean age 22.4) than UK vegans (mean age 24.9).
|
Vegans |
UK Vegans |
USA Vegans |
| <15 |
10% |
7% |
17% |
| 16-24 |
52% |
51% |
52% |
| 25-34 |
26% |
29% |
21% |
| 35-44 |
8% |
9% |
6% |
| 45-54 |
3% |
3% |
3% |
| 55+ |
1% |
1% |
1% |
Source: The Vegan Profile
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So my theory that the vegan male is an elusive creature is backed up with facts…
Looks like I’m so average – female, under 35, vegan for ethical/moral reasons and became vegan between the ages of 16-34 (29 to be exact).
Wow, this is so cool. Very interesting, thank you for posting.
Prior to the advent of modern “farming” practices (factory farms, etc. which I don’t consider farming at all), I’d be willing to bet that most vegans were that way for mostly religious or dietary needs, not moral or ethical issues. It’s kind of interesting to see the difference 100 years or so will make to the mind set of people.
Do you have any stats on vegetarians? Would love to see those in comparison to vegans!
Hi Kate,
Don’t despair… Jane made a vegan out of me. Perhaps you’ll do the same with your future spouse?
Hi Voracious,
We thought it was rather interesting too.
Hi Christina,
Yes, I’m sure climate change and environmentalism will become more important motivations over the next few decades.
Hi vegangirl,
Sorry, the Vegan Project didn’t have any data on vegetarians, but wikipedia has a bunch of data that might be of interest to you.
hi from a vegan living in japan, (australian)
im a guy ,25 years. (the elusive creature)
just felt like browsing vegan demographics on google since i am the only vegan i know in japan. what is the world’s vegan/vegetarian population do you know any numbers? Japan is very low but I heard 3 000 000 vegan/veg in the UK and 10 000 000 in the US.
I read a cool book that you might want to read too-john robbins-the food revolution
Hi vernon,
. Very informative!
Thanks for the book recommendation. We’ve actually read it and Diet for a New America
I don’t have any statistics on global veganism, or specifically Japan. However, googling around, I did find the following two sites, which seem to have info on vegan restaurants in Japan. Hope that helps.
Japan Wiki; and
Japan Times, old article with list of restaurants.
You might also want to search for vegan meetups in your area… where you can find like minded people!
[...] waxing about the number of vegans in Europe and the US I came across this interesting post about vegan demographics on Vegan [...]
Hello,
My name is Joe, I am 31 years old and my wife and I are both vegans. We are in the minority as we have become vegans primarily for health reasons. We are both athletes and enjoy working out. During my transition to veganism I lost a lot of bodyfat, and actually gained muscle mass. So much for the skinny weak vegan myth.
All the best everyone!!!!
Joe
Where can I get demographics for vegans and vegetarians?
I’m doing a business plan project for my business class and I need supporting info.
Thanks