How many vegetarians and vegans are in the UK in 2026?

We look at how many people are adopting meat-free diets in the UK.

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Louise Bastock's headshot

By

Sophie Barber

&

Louise Bastock

Updated

Fact checked

For some people, going meat-free is as simple as switching your bank account, while others may find the change harder. We carried out our annual survey to investigate the number of veggies and vegans in the UK.

Vegans and vegetarians in the UK: Key statistics

  • 6.3% of UK adults are planning to follow a vegan diet in 2026, an estimated 3.5 million people.
  • 9.5% of Brits are planning to follow a vegetarian diet in 2026, an estimated 5.2 million people.
  • 14% of people followed a meat-free diet at the end of 2025, compared to 12% at the end of 2024.
  • In total, 27% of Brits are either already meat-free or plan to adopt a meat-free diet in 2025, which would mean an estimated 14.2 million meat-free Brits by the end of the year.
  • 2 in 5 from generation Z (41%) and a third of millennials (32%) intend to follow a meat-free diet in 2026, including those who are already meat-free.

How many vegans are there in the UK?

Finder’s research found that 6.3% of UK adults reported planning to follow a vegan diet in 2026, an estimated 3.5 million people. This includes 3.1% who are already vegan and 3.2% (an estimated X million Brits) who weren’t vegan at the end of 2025 but plan to start following a vegan diet this year.

How many vegetarians are there in the UK?

9.5% of Brits plan to follow a vegetarian diet in 2026 according to a Finder survey, an estimated 5.2 million people. This includes 5.5% who are already vegetarian (around 3 million people) and 4% who intend to follow a vegetarian diet this year (around 2.2 million people).

How many pescatarians are there in the UK?

8.4% of the UK is intending to follow a pescatarian diet in 2026, eating fish but no meat. This equates to around 4.6 million people and includes 3.1% who were not previously pescaratian but want to adopt the diet this year.

How many people follow a meat-free diet in the UK?

14% of the UK population followed a meat-free diet at the end of 2025, approximately 7.7 million people. This number is up from 12% at the end of 2024.

Many more of us have intentions to go meat-free in 2026, however, as a further 1 in 10 Brits (10.3%), around 5.7 million adults, are hoping to be meat-free in 2026.

This means that, in total, 27% of Brits are either already meat-free or plan to adopt a meat-free diet in 2025, which would mean an estimated 14.2 million meat-free Brits by the end of the year.

Diet type Percentage already following the diet Percentage intending to adopt the diet in 2026
Vegetarian 5.50% 4.00%
Pescatarian 5.35% 3.05%
Vegan 3.10% 3.20%
Meat-free diet 13.95% 10.25%
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Which generation has the most vegetarians and vegans?

A meat-free diet is most likely to appeal to the younger generations. Overall, 2 in 5 from generation Z (41%) and a third of millennials (32%) intend to follow a meat-free diet in 2026.

In generation Z, 1 in 8 (13%) are planning to follow a vegan diet in 2026, including 7% who are already vegan and 6% who want to try it out this year.

When it comes to millennials, 9% are planning to follow a vegan diet in 2026, while 11% are planning to be vegetarian.

Unsurprisingly, the older generations are less enthused at the prospect of cutting meat out of their diets. 1 in 5 from generation X (10%), 1 in 8 baby boomers (12%), and 7% of the silent generation plan to be meat-free in any form (vegan, vegetarian or pescatarian) in 2026.

Generation Currently meat-free Plan to be meat-free in 2026 Eating meat
Gen Z 18.87% 22.54% 58.59%
Millennials 19.63% 12.52% 67.85%
Gen X 12.20% 7.46% 80.34%
Baby boomers 6.57% 2.67% 90.76%
Silent generation 9.09% 3.03% 87.88%

Which region has the most vegetarians and vegans?

London leads the way in meat-free diets, with a third of residents (35%) currently identifying as a vegan, vegetarian or pescatarian or planning to adopt one of these diets in 2026. 1 in 5 (21%) are already meat-free while 14% hope to go meat-free this year.

Region Vegan in 2025 Veggie in 2025 Pescatarian in 2025 Meat-free in 2025
East Midlands 4.76% 12.24% 5.44% 12.24%
East of England 5.79% 6.84% 9.47% 12.63%
Greater London 7.69% 14.23% 12.69% 20.77%
North East 3.75% 8.75% 12.50% 16.25%
North West 8.07% 11.66% 7.62% 16.14%
Northern Ireland 3.57% 7.14% 12.50% 12.50%
Scotland 9.76% 5.49% 8.54% 15.24%
South East 3.99% 8.33% 5.80% 10.51%
South West 4.65% 8.14% 4.65% 11.05%
Wales 10.87% 11.96% 10.87% 15.22%
West Midlands 7.39% 11.36% 7.39% 13.07%
Yorkshire and The Humber 4.27% 4.88% 8.54% 10.37%

Sources

Methodology

Finder commissioned Censuswide to carry out a nationally representative survey of adults aged 18+. A total of 2,000 people were questioned throughout Great Britain between 12 December and 15 December 2025, with representative quotas for gender, age and region. The online survey has a margin of error of ±2.2% at a 95% confidence level. Censuswide follows the MRS Code of Conduct, ESOMAR principles, and is a member of the British Polling Council.

Click here for more research. For all media enquiries, please contact –

Sophie Barber
Communications Manager

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Sophie Barber is a senior content marketing manager for Finder in the UK. She has over 5 years experience in writing and publishing clear, concise and informative articles that help consumers make informed decisions. See full bio

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Sophie has written 96 Finder guides across topics including:
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Louise is an editor and spokesperson at Finder, specialising in a broad range of financial topics from first-time buyers to financial wellness. Her personal finance expertise has been featured in Closer Magazine, The Sun, The Daily Mail, The Independent and more, and she has appeared on ITV News. You can check out her work across 500+ videos on Finder's YouTube channel, which has over 3 million views. In her free time, Louise can be found performing in comedy clubs across the UK or figuring out how to justify having a hot tub in her garden. See full bio

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Louise has written 13 Finder guides across topics including:
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  • UK top trends
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