The percentage of Indians who are vegetarian varies depending on the source. According to a 2006 Hindu-CNN-IBN State of the Nation Survey, 31% of Indians are vegetarian, while another 9% also consume eggs (ovo-vegetarian) . However, other surveys cited by FAO and USDA estimate 40% of the Indian population as being vegetarian. According to a 2018 survey released by the registrar general of India, Rajasthan (74.9%), Haryana (69.25%), Punjab (66.75%), and Gujarat (60.95%) have the highest percentage of vegetarians, followed by Madhya Pradesh (50.6%), Uttar Pradesh (47.1%), Maharashtra (40.2%), Delhi (39.5%), Uttarakhand (27.35%), Karnataka (21.1%), Assam (20.6%), Chhattisgarh (17.95%), Bihar (7.55%), Jharkhand (3.25%), Kerala (3.0%), Odisha (2.65%), Tamil Nadu (2.35%), Andhra Pradesh (1.75%), West Bengal (1.4%), and Telangana (1.25%) . According to a 2021 survey by Pew Research Center, around 39% of the overall Indian population identifies as vegetarian. However, this survey did not specify a type of vegetarianism and left the definition of the term up to the respondent. Another survey conducted in 2021 found that 24% of Indians were vegetarians and 18% were selective meat eaters.

It is important to note that there is significant regional variation in India with regard to dietary preferences. Vegetarianism is most common among the Swaminarayan community, Brahmins, Arya Samaj community, Lingayats, Vaishnavites, Jains, Sikhs, and less frequent among Muslims (3%) and residents of coastal states. Among Hindus, there are wide regional variations with regard to the percentage of people identifying as vegetarian.

In summary, the percentage of Indians who are vegetarian varies depending on the source, but it is generally estimated to be between 20% and 40%.