2.1% of the Japanese population are vegan. The plant-based food market was worth 24.6 billion Japanese yen in 2021.
Vegetarianism and veganism are not as popular in Japan as it is in the West, so you'll find there's often some confusion as to what you can and can't eat. However, with a little planning, it's possible to navigate Japan and even sample vegetarian or vegan Japanese food, without compromising your diet.
Does Japan Have A Lot Of Vegans? Only 1% of the Japanese population is vegan. The plant-based food market will be worth 24.6 billion Japanese yen in 2021, according to the market research firm Mintel. According to forecasts, the market for plant-based foods will reach 45.3 billion yen by 2023.
Research of this nature in 2020 showed that the United Kingdom was the leading country for veganism. Google trends gave the UK a perfect 100 out of 100 score, with Australia second on 87, Israel on 84, Austria on 82 and New Zealand on 81.
Based on early data from the National Nutrition Survey and other studies we estimate that about 2% of Australians are vegan. This is approximately 500,000 people.
As per our findings, there's no country where 100% of the population is non-vegetarian. However, some countries have a higher consumption of meat because of cultural or religious factors, i.e., China, Brazil, and the USA, among others.
Australia is home to as many as 2.5 million vegans and vegetarians. 6% of the population is vegan. In the last decade, those following plant-based diets have increased by about 50% The east of Australia has the most number of vegans.
India. Three of India's major religions — Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism — teach the practice of ahimsa, or non-violence towards all beings. Because of this religious tradition, India has the highest percentage of vegetarians out of all the countries in the world.
Israel: This country's capital city, Tel Aviv, is titled the “vegan capital of the world”. Apart from Tel Aviv, you'll find vegan alternatives and markets in lots of different small towns of Israel serving superb vegan fare. You can pick out from 700+ vegan eating places in Israel, currently.
There are no vegan burgers or desserts. McDonald's in Japan uses beef (presumably lard) to fry their items in, so the fried items like hot apple pie, hash potato and french fries all contain beef. Some of the flavored “Shaka Shaka Potatoes” (fries with seasoning) also contain additional animal ingredients.
It's not mission frickin impossible to survive as a vegan in Japan, though it helps to be well-researched and well-prepared. In popular tourist cities like Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and Fukuoka, there are plenty of restaurants offering vegan / vegetarian options of local dishes.
Kyoto is one of the most vegan-friendly cities in Japan, not least because of its long history with the vegetarian Buddhist cuisine, shojin ryori.
Since bone-char processed sugar is very common in Japan, please understand that any item containing sugar that people discuss here as being okay for vegans may use bone-char processed sugar, unless it has obtained a vegan certification stating it has not or someone has obtained that information from the manufacturer.
You might be used to heading out to Mcdonald's for some fries or grabbing a pack of oreos to tie you over during a long day of playing tourist, but you will be horrified to find out that both of these options are not vegan-friendly in Japan.
Jesus ate fish and is seen as completely without sin, suggesting that eating fish is not a sin. The Bible does not explicitly state that Jesus ate any meat other than fish, and Webb cites the fact that no lamb is mentioned at the Last Supper as evidence that he did not.
China's vegan and plant-based protein industry is growing fast, and this lifestyle is becoming increasingly popular around the country. Veganism statistics China shows the trend being adopted at a rapid rate: 5% of China's population are vegans.
Hindu and Buddhism
Both of these traditions emphasize the importance of nonviolence and compassion towards all living beings, and this commitment to ethical conduct has led many followers to adopt a vegetarian or vegan diet. In Hinduism, the concept of ahimsa, or nonviolence, is a central tenet of the faith.
In 2019 a nationally representative survey of Australians found that 35 percent of respondents were vegetarian or vegan for animal welfare reasons. The second most popular response was for health reasons.
The Sunshine Coast is one of the most vegetarian-friendly cities in the world. It has some of the best vegetarian restaurants in the world and is also home to Australia's first vegan grocery store. Vegetarianism is rising, and the Sunshine Coast is one of the best places to be a vegetarian or vegan.
Italy. Italian food is often the saviour of the vegetarian traveller wherever they are in the world, with pasta and pizza available in the most unlikely places. However, in Italy itself, it can sometimes be surprisingly difficult sometimes to find obviously vegetarian food, especially outside of tourist centres.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, pork is the most widely eaten meat in the world (36%) followed by poultry (33%), beef (24%), and goats/sheep (5%).
India. India has the highest percentage of vegetarians in the world but it's worth pointing out that it is not some kind of vegetarian utopia. Young people are eating more meat, and there are areas in the country where vegetarians are in the minority. That said, India is a great place to go for vegetarian food.