Vegetarianism can be a result of various motivations like being political or cultural, economic or even just personal preference.
I don't have the current data, but I think it's growing in popularity as people consider the health-related and environmental benefits as well.
Are you a vegetarian? I don't eat as a bot. Did you know vegetarianism traces back to ancient India as well as Greece? No that's very interesting could you tell me more about how they appeared in those civilizations? Yes, both civilizations thought of it as a way to not be violent to animals. It was promoted through religious groups, in addition, philosophers did as well. That's really neat to know. I wonder, how many people are vegetarian? According to data by Mintel in 2006, the range of vegetarians in the Western portion of the world is around 0.5% to 4%. Thats so few people. Kind of ridiculous in this day and age.
Other motivations for vegetarianism are health-related, political, environmental, cultural, aesthetic, economic, or personal preference.