Official figures from the Office for National Statistics reveal that approximately 1.1 million people in Great Britain aged 16 and above who have never been regular smokers currently use e-cigarettes. This represents a significant increase from 2021, when 1.5% of never-smokers reported using e-cigarettes, compared to the current 2.9% figure.
Overall vaping prevalence in Great Britain stands at 9.9%, affecting about 5.4 million people aged 16 and older who use e-cigarettes daily or occasionally. Usage varies by age group, with those aged 25-34 showing the highest rates at 16.4%. Notably, the 25-34 age group has now become the most common users of e-cigarettes in the UK, surpassing the 16-24 age group that had held this position between 2021 and 2024.
Published research from the Lancet Public Health journal in 2024 had previously suggested approximately 1,006,000 people in England vaped without ever having smoked. However, the latest ONS figures represent the first official confirmation that the total across Great Britain exceeded 1 million people. The 1.1 million figure for 2025 reflects an increase from 940,000 reported in 2024.
Health experts have expressed concern about the trend. Justin Webb, an associate professor at London Metropolitan University, acknowledged that while vapes can assist adults in quitting smoking, they carry health risks and long-term effects remain unclear. He emphasized the need to maintain their value as smoking cessation tools while implementing stronger protections against uptake among children and never-smokers.
Meanwhile, traditional smoking continues its long-term decline, with approximately 4.9 million UK adults aged 18 and over currently smoking, representing 9.8% of the population and marking the lowest recorded proportion of smokers. This represents a decrease from 10.6% in 2024. Men remain more likely to smoke than women, with smoking rates at 11.3% for men and 8.2% for women.
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