January was once about detoxes and fitness center sign-ups. Now, for thousands and thousands, it’s about giving up meat, eggs and dairy – a minimum of for some time, as extra individuals taste-test the vegan life-style.
A research final 12 months by YouGov and non-profit organisation Veganuary – each primarily based in the UK – discovered that 25.8 million individuals worldwide took half within the month-long problem to keep away from animal merchandise in January 2025, even when they didn’t maintain out for the entire month.
Since its launch within the UK in 2014, the Veganuary motion has unfold globally, with official campaigns in 20 international locations, together with Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Malaysia, Peru, Singapore and the USA.
Final 12 months noticed the primary Chinese language equal of Veganuary, albeit held in March, following Lunar New Yr. Based on the World Inhabitants Evaluation, an unbiased platform targeted on demographics, mainland China is the world’s largest meat client, with consumption reaching 102.9 million tonnes in 2022, practically 5 occasions the 21.3 million tonnes eaten in second-place Brazil.
Hong Kong can be a meat-lovers’ Mecca, with the common Hongkonger consuming 123kg (271lbs) of meat in 2022, the fourth-highest per capita consumption globally.
Based on a survey by Veganuary, in 2025 practically half of the members cited animal welfare as their principal motivation, adopted by well being and the atmosphere.
