With Veganuary 2024 having recently come to a close, the organization has revealed that over 1.8 million people received its support and guidance to try veganism, in the form of emails, videos, social media posts, and podcasts. Many also purchased Veganuary products, such as the charity’s cookbook and Vegan Kit card deck.
Veganuary has calculated that the actual number of participants is likely to be even higher than the figures indicate, as many people take part without officially signing up. To gain an estimate of the true number, the organization has commissioned YouGov surveys in its core campaign countries. The results suggest that the total number of participants could be as high as 25 million.
Awareness of Veganuary also continues to grow, with 75% of UK survey respondents having heard of it even if they have never taken part. On TikTok, the Veganuary tag has been viewed over 1.1 billion times.
Celebrating ten years
To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the campaign (which first took place in 2014), the Veganuary flag was sent up to the International Space Station last year, where it orbited the Earth 4,400 times and passed over every country worldwide.
The 2024 campaign saw milestones such as the opening of an office in Spain to continue Veganuary’s global expansion. In the US, interest in Veganuary has increased significantly, with the country now having more participants than any other nation worldwide. Veganuary India is also expected to have seen record figures in 2024.
The campaign is likely to have a lasting impact, with a survey indicating that 80% of those who took part in Veganuary 2023 had reduced their meat consumption by at least 50% six months later. Support from celebrities such as Billie Eilish and Paul McCartney continues to boost participation.
“It is incredibly inspiring to see Veganuary’s participation and influence continue to grow around the world,” said Veganuary Head of Communications, Toni Vernelli. “As people become more aware of the incredible impact our food choices have on the health of our planet, attitudes towards veganism are changing everywhere, and Veganuary’s friendly, non-judgmental, just-give-it-a-go-for-a-month-and-see-what-you-think approach has undoubtedly played an instrumental role in this shift.”
