One million UK people who have never smoked are now vaping
Source: BBC Health ↗ (cross-verified by 2 outlets — full list below)
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.
⚡ Effects Interpreter
🌍World Economymedium impact
What this means for you
- ▶Investors abroad usually reprice their bets when a story like this lands.
- ▶Multinational firms typically adjust their playbooks when stories like this break.
🏙️Local Economylow impact
What this means for you
- ▶Modest firms on your street might pass costs on carefully, bit by bit.
- ▶The high street usually mirrors big-picture shifts, just a bit down the road.
🏦Rates & Banksmedium impact
What this means for you
- ▶Borrowing plans are usually safe from sudden shocks over something like this.
- ▶Banks generally prefer a wait-and-see approach before touching their rates.
❤️Healthmedium impact
What this means for you
- ▶Good information, shared kindly, can settle a lot of nerves.
- ▶Trusted medical advice usually beats speculation when health news breaks.
💷Wealthlow impact
What this means for you
- ▶Employers might see a knock-on cost if sick leave rises locally.
- ▶Sick pay and benefits are worth understanding before you need them.
🏠Housinglow impact
What this means for you
- ▶Anyone mid-purchase might want to keep an eye on how this unfolds.
- ▶Buyers and renters may notice only a soft drift, if anything at all.
🌍 Effects for your country
The U.S.'s central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The U.S.'s economy is growing at 2.3% with inflation at 3.2%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the U.S.'s own central bank rate closely. With the U.S.'s unemployment at 4.4%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the U.S. depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UK's central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UK's economy is growing at 0.8% with inflation at 3.2%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UK's own central bank rate closely. With the UK's unemployment at 5.6%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UK depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
France's central bank rate currently stands at 2%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. France's economy is growing at 0.9% with inflation at 1.8%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track France's own central bank rate closely. With France's unemployment at 7.9%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is already under strain. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in France depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
Romania's central bank rate currently stands at 6.5%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. Romania's economy is growing at 0.7% with inflation at 7.8%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track Romania's own central bank rate closely. With Romania's unemployment at 6%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in Romania depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UAE's central bank rate currently stands at 3.65%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UAE's economy is growing at 3.1% with inflation at 2.5%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UAE's own central bank rate closely. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UAE depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.