Why Taiwan, Portugal, and Iceland Are the World’s Most Underrated Vegan Travel Destinations

If you ask the average vegan traveler to name the most plant-based-friendly country, they will usually say Germany. Sometimes the UK. Occasionally Israel.

They are not wrong about absolute numbers. They are wrong about what those numbers feel like on the ground.

The Vegan Society’s January 2026 Veganism Around the World report, built from polling across ten countries and detailed profiles of twenty-one, tells a different story when you measure per capita.

The countries that actually deliver the densest, easiest vegan experience for a traveler are not the usual list.

The Per-Capita Map Nobody Talks About

The report ranked vegan-friendliness by restaurants per million residents rather than raw totals. The leaderboard changes completely.

New Zealand topped the global ranking for vegan-friendly dining at roughly 345 per million residents, driven by mainstream restaurants routinely offering plant-based options.

Taiwan came out on top for fully vegan restaurants per capita at 14.8 per million.

Portugal followed Taiwan as the second leader globally for fully vegan restaurants per capita. Iceland was the European stand-out, with 43% of restaurants offering at least one vegan dish.

Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore also ranked highly.

Many of these countries share something the headline destinations do not: a Buddhist or pre-existing vegetarian food culture that predates the modern vegan movement.

Why Taiwan Quietly Leads the World

Taiwan’s number is not a fluke. Roughly 13% to 14% of Taiwanese identify as vegetarian, one of the highest national figures anywhere.

Note: the 13-14% figure is commonly cited in industry sources and Taiwanese government materials but lacks a single peer-reviewed citation, so worth flagging before publication if precision matters.

Most of that traces to Buddhist temple cooking, which has had centuries to refine vegetable, soy, and grain-based cuisine. You do not need a designated vegan restaurant in Taipei.

You can walk into a su shi (vegetarian) restaurant in nearly any neighborhood and find generations of recipe development on the menu. This is a different category of vegan-friendly.

Berlin built its vegan scene in the last fifteen years on top of an omnivorous food culture.

Taipei built its vegan scene over centuries inside a food culture that already considered plant-based meals normal.

For a traveler, the difference is felt in the rhythm of a day. In Berlin, you plan around vegan restaurants. In Taipei, you stop planning and just eat.

Portugal’s Plot Twist

Portugal ranks third globally for seafood consumption per capita. It also ranks second in the world for fully vegan restaurants per capita.

These two things look contradictory until you look closer. Lisbon and Porto are home to one of the densest concentrations of vegan-only restaurants in Europe, even while the broader national diet remains heavily fish-based.

Part of the reason is generational. Younger Portuguese consumers, especially in the major cities, have moved sharply toward plant-based eating, often in the same neighborhoods their grandparents shop for bacalhau.

For a traveler, this means Lisbon offers something rare. Plant-based pastéis de nata, a thriving vegan dining scene, and a parallel traditional food culture that has not collapsed under the shift.

You can read more on this kind of regional pattern in our round-up of the world's most vegan-friendly cities for 2026, which goes deeper into Lisbon, Ubud, Phuket, and the rest of the leaderboard.

Iceland’s Quiet European Win

Iceland does not make most vegan travel lists. It probably should.

According to the Vegan Society’s report, 43% of Icelandic restaurants offer at least one vegan dish. That is the highest mainstream-offering rate of any European country profiled.

Reykjavik in particular has built a small but unusually consistent plant-based dining scene.

The country’s geography and Nordic food trends have pushed restaurants toward foraged, seasonal, and increasingly vegetable-led menus.

You will not find Berlin-level variety. What you find instead is consistency.

Almost wherever you sit down, something on the menu will work for you.

How to Plan a Trip Around These Numbers

The per-capita map suggests a different way to think about vegan travel. The question is not “which country has the most vegan restaurants.” It is “which country makes being vegan feel normal.”

By that measure, the strongest picks for a first-time vegan traveler are Taiwan, Portugal, New Zealand, and Iceland. Each one offers a different version of vegan-as-default rather than vegan-as-exception.

Taiwan gives you depth. Portugal gives you density and food culture.

New Zealand gives you mainstream availability. Iceland gives you quiet reliability.

If you want to extend the trip into Southeast Asia, Vietnam and Malaysia offer the same Buddhist-influenced ease at lower cost. A vegan traveler eating banh mi chay in Da Nang will rarely think about the diet at all.

Our recent post on a vegan lifter’s week of rice, beans, and tofu in Costa Rica is another worth bookmarking if you want destination-specific travel reads.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Country Has the Most Vegan-Friendly Restaurants Per Capita?

New Zealand leads on vegan-friendly dining per capita, with roughly 345 such restaurants per million residents. Taiwan leads specifically for fully vegan restaurants at 14.8 per million.

Why Is Taiwan So Vegan-Friendly?

Roughly 13% to 14% of the Taiwanese population identifies as vegetarian, largely due to a centuries-old Buddhist food tradition. Vegan and vegetarian restaurants are common across the country, not concentrated in tourist districts.

Is Portugal Really Good for Vegans Despite High Seafood Consumption?

Yes. Portugal ranks third for seafood consumption per capita but second for fully vegan restaurants per capita, reflecting a sharp generational shift in major cities like Lisbon and Porto.

Is Iceland a Good Vegan Travel Destination?

Surprisingly so. About 43% of Icelandic restaurants offer at least one vegan dish, the highest rate in Europe according to the Vegan Society’s January 2026 report.

What About Berlin and London?

Both have large absolute numbers of vegan restaurants and are excellent for variety. They rank lower on per-capita measures, which means more planning is required between options compared to denser cities like Taipei or Lisbon.

A Quick Personal Note

I learned this the slow way, planning trips around the Berlins and Londons because everyone said to. The trips were fine.

The food was good. What surprised me, the first time I spent a week eating in Taipei, was how little I thought about being vegan.

The mental load disappeared. That is what the per-capita map actually measures.

Not how many restaurants exist, but how often you have to think about whether the next meal will work for you.

If a future trip can give you that, it is worth choosing a less obvious destination. And if you are still in the early stages of your plant-based eating, our guide to starting a vegan lifestyle without feeling overwhelmed is a good first stop before you book the flight