One million UK people who have never smoked are now vaping
More than one million adults in Great Britain who have never smoked cigarettes are now using e‑cigarettes, according to the Office for National Statistics’ 2025 data, up from roughly 940,000 the previous year. For the second consecutive year, the number of people aged 16 and over who vape exceeds those who smoke, with 5.4 million vapers compared with 4.9 million smokers—a decline in smoking prevalence to about one in ten adults. The surge is most pronounced among 25‑ to 34‑year‑olds, 16.4 % of whom now vape daily or occasionally, overtaking the younger 16‑ to 24‑year‑old cohort.
The shift reflects both a falling smoking rate and an expanding base of never‑smokers taking up vaping. The ONS notes that the share of the population who have never used an e‑cigarette fell to 83.0 % in 2025 from 83.4 % in 2024, indicating growing experimentation. Experts attribute the trend to heightened awareness of tobacco’s health risks and the perception that vaping is less harmful, a view echoed by the NHS, which acknowledges the uncertainty of long‑term effects but classifies vaping as comparatively safer. New legislation slated for the coming year will ban the legal sale of tobacco to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009, aiming to create a “smoke‑free” generation, further reinforcing the public‑health push away from cigarettes.
Health advocates see the figures as encouraging but caution that smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death. Hazel Cheeseman of Action on Smoking and Health praised the progress while urging continued effort to eradicate smoking entirely. Cancer Research UK’s Kruti Shrotri highlighted vaping’s role as a cessation aid, noting that half of current smokers intend to quit. The data, which covers adults in the UK for smoking and those aged 16+ in Great Britain for vaping, also shows men still smoking more than women and the highest smoking rates among 45‑ to 54‑year‑olds, while the 18‑ to 24‑year‑old group recorded the steepest decline in smoking.
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🏠Housing
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