Our record is the most powerful lever to save the planet. This is essentially one of the conclusions formulated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its latest report. Faced with the urgency of the climate crisis, scientists are recalling the need to reduce the consumption of meat and animal products to limit our CO2 emissions. But in the world, vegetarianism remains a minority trend: only 6% of the population would live without animal meat, according to a 2020 study published by the market research firm Euromonitor International. Some countries are still good students in this field. We present you the 5 most vegetarian countries in the world.
#1 India
That’s no big surprise: India is the country with the most vegetarians in the population. According to a report by the US research center Pew Research Center published in 2021, nearly 39% of the Indian population claims to be vegetarian. In the country where the cow is considered a sacred animal, the low meat consumption is mainly explained by cultural and religious reasons. While not all Indian men and women are strict vegetarians, nearly 8 in 10 adults would limit the amount of meat in their diet in some way, reports West France†
#2 Mexico
In second place is a Latin American country: Mexico. Nearly 20% of the Mexican population is vegetarian, according to a 2018 article published in the American magazine Forbes† The vegan economy is also booming in the country, according to the specialist media vegetarian† The latter underlines the emergence of important players in the sector, such as the Mexican start-up Delike, which produces alternatives to meat.
#3 Brazil
Although it is the largest meat exporter in the world, Brazil is in third place. And rightly so, the population would increasingly opt for a vegetarian or meatless diet, according to an article in the New York Times, published in 2020. In 2018, 14% of the Brazilian population declared themselves vegetarian or vegan, according to a survey conducted by Ibope. And the trend continues, which is a minor revolution in a country where the national dish (the “feijoada”) is made of loin, sausage, bacon, and sometimes pork feet.
#4 Taiwan
Vegetarianism is also fashionable in Taiwan. According to government data from 2019, nearly 13% of the island nation’s population is vegetarian. This would represent 1.7 million people, but according to the magazine Business Topics in Taiwan, this figure is expected to continue growing year on year. The monthly reports that the country has 6,000 vegetarian restaurants and that vegetarian cuisine is no longer limited to traditional Buddhist dishes.
#5 Israel
On par with Taiwan, Israel’s population is also said to be 13% vegetarian (2019 data). In fact, according to Ouest-France, 3 to 5% of Israelis and Israelis are vegan, which would make it the first vegan country in the world. Tel Aviv, the capital, has nearly 400 vegetarian and vegan addresses according to the independentmaking it “the vegan capital of the world”.
And France, where is it?
Compared to the 5 world leaders in vegetarianism, France is lagging far behind. According to a survey by Ifop, by 2020 only 2.2% of the French population would have adopted a meatless diet (vegetarian, vegan or pescetarian). Flexitarianism nevertheless affects almost 24% of French men and women.
But the trend towards vegetarianism could accelerate in the coming years. According to a Yougove survey conducted in February 2022 for the association L214, 64% of French people are in favor of implementing public policies leading to a 50% reduction in meat and fish consumption in 5 years.