Last Updated on April 12, 2024 by Fasting Planet
Ireland has been on your list of must-see destinations for years now. The time finally seems right to travel there, but there’s just one thing on your mind. You’ve recently taken up vegetarianism, perhaps even veganism, and you worry about feeling alone. How many Irish are vegetarian?
According to 2018 numbers, Ireland’s vegetarian population may be as high as 8.4 percent, which is roughly 153,500 people. Data from the same year estimates that the country has 2.0 to 4.1 percent of vegans, or about 146,500 residents.
In today’s article, we’ll discuss the dietary staples of Ireland to see how compatible these are with veganism and vegetarianism. Then we’ll take a deeper dive into the numbers so you’ll know how many vegetarians you can expect to bump into during your trip to Ireland!
What Is the Primary Diet in Ireland?
If there’s one food associated with the Irish diet, that’s potatoes. After all, the Great Famine, also known as the Irish potato famine, is a harrowing historical period known by people all over the world.
Today, potatoes still appear in the Irish diet, but that’s far from all. Irish Times, in a 2016 article, detailed the changes the Irish diet has undergone over the years. Here are Ireland’s dietary staples and their popularity courtesy of that article.
Pasta
Between 2002 and 2015, Irish consumption of pasta and rice increased from 6.2 kilograms to 8.2 kilograms, which is a decently significant jump. That’s about 13.7 pounds of pasta and rice consumed in 2002 to 18.1 pounds by 2015.
Processed Foods
Although processed seafood and meat isn’t healthy, it is convenient. In Ireland, processed foods have gone way up in popularity. Back in 2002, Ireland’s residents ate only 8.5 kilograms or 18.7 pounds of the stuff a year. By 2015, the number had spiked at 13.5 kilograms, which is a whopping 27.8 pounds of processed foods eaten a year!
Vegetables
Fortunately, the Irish are balancing out this processed diet with an uptick in vegetable consumption. In 2002, vegetables were a good part of an Irish person’s diet, as they ate about 56.7 kilograms or 125 pounds of ‘em a year. More recently, in 2015, that number had gone up to 63.5 kilograms, which is about 140 pounds.
Nuts
Another healthy food that’s more widely incorporated in Irish diets these days is nuts. In the early 2000s, Irish people ate 0.7 kilograms of nuts a year or 1.5 pounds. There’s been moderate growth in the decades since, as in 2015, nut consumption lingers at around 1.5 kilograms, which is 3.3 pounds.
Fruits
You can’t have vegetables without fruits, or you shouldn’t, anyway. The Irish would agree, it appears. Irish Times says in 2002, fruit consumption was 49.5 kilograms or 109.1 pounds a year. By 2015, the country ate 62.5 kilograms or 137.8 pounds of fruit annually.
Seafood and Fish
Fish and chips may be a UK tradition, but more fresh seafood has found its way into the Irish diet between 2002 and 2015. The numbers went from 12.1 kilograms (26.7 pounds) of seafood eaten a year to 14.2 kilograms (31.3 pounds).
Such foods that the Irish Times says are on the decline in Ireland are:
- Sweeteners and sugar (8.5 kilograms in 2002 to 7.6 kilograms in 2015)
- Milk (165.6 kilograms in 2002 to 112 kilograms in 2015)
- Butter (2.2 kilograms in 2002 to 1.3 kilograms in 2015)
- Starchy foods like potatoes (61.8 kilograms in 2002 to 42 kilograms in 2015)
- Meats (84.7 kilograms in 2002 to 76.1 kilograms in 2015)
- Eggs (7.5 kilograms in 2002 to 6.8 kilograms in 2015)
How Many People Live in Ireland?
Ireland has a large population, with 4.904 million people calling the European country home as of 2019. Northern Ireland includes 1.885 million residents and the Republic of Ireland 4.904 million people.
What Percentage of Irish Are Vegetarian?
Using those numbers as a basis, does Ireland have a healthy vegetarian population? Two reports from 2018 provided the numbers for vegetarians in Ireland for that year, this piece from TheJournal.ie and this Board Bia Insight Centre report through the Irish Food Board.
Ireland’s vegetarian population, as of 2018, is between 4.3 and 8.4 percent, which is roughly 153,500 people. Considering Ireland has nearly 5 million residents, if this number seems rather small, it’s because it is.
World Atlas, in a 2019 article, ranked countries worldwide based on their populations of vegetarians. India was number one with 38 percent of vegetarians, Israel number two with 13 percent, and Taiwan number three with 13 percent of vegetarians. Ireland ranked on the top 10 list, but it came in ninth place with a vegetarian population of 5 to 6 percent, says World Atlas.
That puts Ireland only ahead of Australia and behind Brazil, the UK, Germany, Austria, and Italy.
What Percentage of Irish Are Vegan?
The Irish diet is already mostly comprised of vegan foods, including vegetables, fruits, nuts, rice, and pasta. Are there more vegans than vegetarians in this country? Not quite, but the numbers are surprisingly more even than you’d think.
TheJournal.ie and Board Bia Insight Centre both estimate that vegans in Ireland amount to about 146,500 people as of 2018. That’s a population of 2.0 to 4.1 percent. So sure, the percentage is smaller, but remember, 153,500 people are vegetarian in Ireland. That’s only 7,000 more vegetarians than vegans.
Plus, that number could grow in the years ahead. LIVEKINDLY, a vegan news resource, states that a large population of Irish, up to 49 percent, said between 2018 and 2019 that they were willing to go vegan.
Of course, there’s a big difference between claiming they’ll eat a vegan diet and actually doing so, but the intentions in Ireland certainly seem good. For now, IrishCentral in 2020 ranked Ireland number 10 on its list of the 15 most vegan countries. Ireland earned a popularity score of 63, beating out the Netherlands, the United States, Denmark, Finland, and Chile. For the record, the UK topped the list.
Conclusion
The Irish diet has moved past potatoes to embrace healthier eats like seafood, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. The vegetarian population in the country is small, as is the number of vegans.
As more and more Irish people are being turned on to the atrocities that animals undergo to be made into food, their ethics are pushing them towards a vegan diet. You shouldn’t have a hard time finding something plant-based to eat here!
Related reading: What Percentage of Italians Are Vegetarian?