Recent data for 2025 indicates that vaping has continued to grow in the UK, with more than one million individuals who have never smoked now using e-cigarettes. This represents an increase from approximately 940,000 the previous year. According to the Office for National Statistics, the total number of vapers in Great Britain has surpassed the number of smokers for the second consecutive year, with 5.4 million people now using e-cigarettes compared to 4.9 million smokers.
Demographic patterns show notable shifts in vaping adoption. The 25 to 34-year-old age group has emerged as the most frequent users of e-cigarettes, overtaking the 16 to 24-year-old group, with 16.4% of that demographic using vapes daily or occasionally. An ONS official noted that the aging profile of vapers may reflect existing users growing older, increased popularity among that specific age group, or a combination of factors. Meanwhile, smoking rates have declined significantly, with the proportion of UK smokers falling to approximately one in 10 adults, or 4.9 million people, down from 5.3 million in the previous year.
Health authorities maintain that while vaping carries less documented harm than smoking, the long-term effects remain unclear. The NHS advises that non-smokers and individuals under 18 should not vape. Public health advocates have highlighted the decline in smoking as encouraging progress, though tobacco-related disease continues to represent the leading cause of preventable death in the UK. Men remain more likely to smoke than women, and the 45 to 54-year-old age group has the highest proportion of current smokers at 12.4%. Notably, young adults aged 18 to 24 have experienced the largest reduction in smoking rates across all age demographics.
Legislation taking effect in the coming year will permanently prohibit the legal sale of tobacco to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, with the stated goal of creating a smoke-free generation. Among current smokers, half indicated an intention to quit. The vaping data encompasses individuals aged 16 and over in Great Britain, while smoking statistics cover adults throughout the entire UK.
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
Article summary produced by Claude AI