Tag: Indian demographics

While India is often stereotyped as a largely vegetarian nation, recent surveys reveal that the majority of the population consumes meat, at least occasionally. Cultural taboos and political factors often cause underreporting of meat consumption, leading to inflated perceptions of vegetarianism.

While often stereotyped as a largely vegetarian nation, research reveals only about 20% of the Indian population is actually vegetarian, a number significantly lower than common claims. This figure is often inflated due to cultural pressures, with a distinction needing to be made between different types of vegetarian diets observed across the country.

According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) for 2019-21, nearly 70% of Indians aged 15-49 are non-vegetarian, debunking the common perception of India as a predominantly vegetarian nation. However, a closer look reveals significant variations in meat consumption across different religious communities.

While a long-held stereotype suggests India is a predominantly vegetarian country, research by Natrajan and Jacob indicates that potentially only around 20% are actual vegetarians. This analysis will explore the complex dietary habits that influence what percent of Indians don't eat meat.