Would the world economy suffer if everyone went vegan?
Summary
A global shift to plant-based diets would cause significant economic restructuring rather than collapse. Research estimates it could reduce agricultural labor costs while creating tens of millions of new jobs in horticulture and plant-based food industries, though careful transition planning would be needed for affected communities.
Evidence Summary
A comprehensive modelling study by Springmann, Vittis, Obersteiner, and Godfray, published in The Lancet Planetary Health in November 2025, examined how dietary shifts would affect agricultural labor in 179 countries. The study found that adopting plant-based diets could reduce global agricultural labor needs by 5-28%, equivalent to 18-106 million full-time jobs, primarily due to decreased demand for livestock production.