The United States is one of the top wealthiest countries in the world. Which sometimes makes me wonder: is vegetarianism and veganism (sometimes referred to as strict vegetarianism) tied to affluence in some way?
I am not a statistician, so I can only rely on information dumbed down for stupid people like myself. But I have always suspected that the answer to my question was in the affirmative. It isn't cost that made me think this, but access. The availability of vegan options is readily obvious in wealthy countries.
Some of the greatest growth in veganism over the past few years has happened exclusively in countries that are predominantly wealthy with the infrastructure to provide the necessary vegan options. But not all countries fall under this banner. For example, Thailand (of which I'll comment more on later).
This isn't a demerit against veganism itself, nor the inability of certain groups of people to follow a vegan diet when many of the options we take for granted are unavailable to them. But it does suggest that, for the most part, as the wealth of a country increases the rate of growth of veganism also increases. Perhaps this is because of the increase in, and availability of, education and healthcare.
Now, I mentioned Thailand as an example. But this example has a caveat that we should keep in mind: some countries that don't have the wealth others have, and probably always had, an infrastructure that includes easy access to a large variety of grains, fruits and vegetables. This infrastructure might also include religious teachings and inclinations. Although the exception to what I've already said, they are certainly not in the majority.
Another country that is an interesting exception is India. The vegetarian capital of the world, it has an infrastructure driven, among other things, by religious beliefs. However, there has been a growth in veganism in this predominately vegetarian country.
So, although there seems to be a correlation between wealth and the growth of veganism, there are countries where this doesn't appear to be strictly true. I suspect, as I mentioned above, education is the most likely reason for this growth, but education is also driven by affluence. Especially in countries where veganism (or even vegetarianism) was not an original part of the countries socio-religious infrastructure.
In fact, I suspect that the more secular a society (or the more secular it is becoming) the greater the growth in veganism.
Anyway, just some thoughts. Check out the following links if you want more information.
https://www.veganfirst.com/article/best-vegan-friendly-countries-in-the-world-in-2022
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/gdp-per-capita-by-country
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/veganism-by-country
