Vegetarianism and Veganism in Switzerland 2024
More than one in every 20 people in Switzerland abstained from meat in 2024. The trend towards more vegetarian and vegan diets is thus continuing, reported the association Swissveg.
In total, Swissveg counted 308’000 vegetarians in Switzerland in 2024, while 50’000 followed a vegan diet.
Women abstain from meat more frequently
Once again, the differing dietary habits between women and men became apparent: in 2024, 6.3 percent of women lived without meat, compared to 2.9 percent of men. 0.9 percent of women identified as vegan, while 0.5 percent of men considered themselves vegan.
The survey reveals: the younger the respondents, the more likely they are to forgo the consumption of animal products. In 2024, 8.4% of persons aged 14 to 34 were vegetarian. Among those aged 55 and above, only 2.1% were vegetarian. For vegans, the figures stand at 1.3% and 0.2% respectively. The majority of vegetarians and vegans are found among young women: among women aged 14 to 34, one in every seven follows a vegetarian diet. 1.8% of young women follow a vegan diet. A plant-based diet protects wildlife and habitats.
Vegetarians and vegans have higher levels of education
The 2024 survey also confirmed that vegetarians and vegans are disproportionately likely to hold a university degree. On average, 39.1% of people in Switzerland have a university education. Among vegetarians, this share is 54.8%, and among vegans it stands at 54.4%.
The figures are based on the annually conducted, representative MACH Consumer Study. This is based on individuals over the age of 14 who speak German, French or Italian. 30’000 people participated in the telephone survey.
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More on the subject of recreational hunting: The scientific evidence is presented in the overview Studies on the Effects of Recreational Hunting.
The position of IG Wild beim Wild: IG Wild beim Wild rejects recreational hunting. Our model is the canton of Geneva, which has managed without recreational hunting since 1974: without hunting seasons, without hunting dogs, without driven hunts, without high seats, without the animal cruelty and crime that go hand in hand with hunting season elsewhere. What has worked there for over fifty years disproves every position paper by JagdSchweiz. An association that bases its policy on claims it refutes in its own documents is not a professional organisation, but a factory for misinformation.
