Vaping Overtakes Smoking in UK as Over a Million Never-Smokers Take Up E-Cigarettes

For the first time, more than a million people across the UK who have never smoked a cigarette are now using vapes, according to newly released figures for 2025. The data, published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), shows that around 1.1 million adults who report having never tried tobacco are now vaping either daily or occasionally. This marks a notable rise from the previous year, when the figure stood at approximately 940,000. The findings underline how deeply vaping has embedded itself in British life, even among groups with no history of traditional cigarette use.

The ONS data also reveals a significant shift in the demographic profile of vapers. People aged 25 to 35 are now the most likely group to use e-cigarettes, having overtaken 16 to 24-year-olds for the first time. Among this older cohort, 16.4% report vaping daily or occasionally. David Mais, from the ONS, commented on this trend, suggesting that it "may reflect existing users getting older, growing popularity among this age group, or a combination of both." The change signals that vaping is no longer predominantly a habit of the youngest adults, but has become increasingly common among those in their late twenties and early thirties.

For the second consecutive year, vaping has outpaced traditional smoking among people over 16. The number of vapers now stands at 5.4 million, compared with 4.9 million smokers. This crossover highlights a sustained decline in cigarette use, with smoking rates falling to nearly one in ten adults. In 2024, there were 5.3 million smokers in the UK; that figure has now dropped by roughly 400,000. The trend suggests that decades of public health campaigns, rising taxation on tobacco, and shifting social norms continue to drive down cigarette consumption.

Experts attribute the long-term decline in smoking to growing awareness of tobacco's harmful effects, which has encouraged many people to quit. The NHS notes that vaping is less harmful than smoking, although it cautions that the long-term health effects of e-cigarettes remain unclear. Official guidance is unequivocal: non-smokers and anyone aged 17 or under should never vape. Despite this, the data shows that experimentation and regular use among never-smokers is rising, raising questions about how effectively the message is reaching the public.

The ONS figures also show a slight decrease in the proportion of people who have never used an e-cigarette. In 2025, 83.0% of respondents said they had never vaped, down from 83.4% in 2024. While the change is small, it points to a steady erosion of the population that remains entirely untouched by vaping. Meanwhile, 7.2% of people reported having used an e-cigarette, up from 6.6% the previous year. These numbers suggest that vaping is becoming more normalised across a broader cross-section of society.

The shift in age patterns is particularly striking. Young adults aged 18 to 24 have seen the largest drop in smoking among all age groups, yet they are no longer the leading vapers. Instead, the 25-35 bracket has taken the top spot. This could indicate that people who might have smoked in previous generations are now turning to e-cigarettes instead, or that vaping is being adopted by older adults as a long-term habit rather than a passing phase. The ONS analysis leaves room for both interpretations.

Gender differences also persist. Men were more likely than women to smoke in 2025, continuing a pattern seen in previous years. The highest proportion of current smokers was found among people aged 45 to 54, at 12.4%. This age group, often facing the cumulative health consequences of long-term tobacco use, remains a key target for cessation services. Among all current smokers, half said they intended to quit, a figure that underscores the ongoing demand for support programmes and alternatives such as vaping.

The UK government is pressing ahead with ambitious plans to create a "smoke-free generation." New legislation, set to take effect in the new year, will permanently ban the legal sale of tobacco to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009. The move is designed to phase out smoking entirely among future generations, preventing young people from ever legally purchasing cigarettes. It represents one of the most radical tobacco control measures in the world and has drawn international attention.

Hazel Cheeseman, from the charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), welcomed the latest statistics as evidence of encouraging progress. She noted that smoking has fallen enormously over recent decades, but stressed that it "remains the biggest driver of preventable death in the UK." Her message was clear: "Now is the time to finish the job." Her comments reflect a growing consensus among public health advocates that the end of smoking is within reach, but that complacency could stall further gains.

The rise in vaping among never-smokers does, however, complicate the picture. While e-cigarettes are widely regarded as a useful tool for helping smokers quit, their appeal to people who have never smoked raises concerns. Health experts warn that nicotine addiction can still develop through vaping, and that the long-term consequences of inhaling e-cigarette vapour are not yet fully understood. The NHS maintains a cautious stance, advising that anyone who does not smoke should not start vaping.

The data also highlights how vaping has become a mainstream consumer habit rather than a niche activity. With 5.4 million users, e-cigarettes now reach a larger share of the adult population than traditional cigarettes. This shift has been accompanied by intense marketing, a proliferation of flavours, and the rise and fall of disposable vape products, which have been subject to recent regulatory scrutiny. The public health community remains divided on whether this transformation represents a net gain or a new set of challenges.

For policymakers, the challenge is to balance two objectives: encouraging smokers to switch to less harmful alternatives, while preventing non-smokers from taking up vaping. The ONS figures suggest that both trends are happening simultaneously. Smoking is declining, but vaping is expanding into groups that might never have used nicotine at all. Future legislation may need to address this dual reality, potentially through stricter advertising rules, flavour restrictions, or age-based sales bans similar to those applied to tobacco.

The ONS report is based on self-reported data from a large sample of UK adults, and like all survey-based research, it carries some margin of error. Nevertheless, the direction of travel is consistent with other studies and with the broader public health consensus. The decline in smoking is real and sustained, while the growth in vaping is equally unmistakable. What remains uncertain is how these trends will interact over the coming decade, and whether the goal of a smoke-free generation can be achieved without inadvertently creating a new generation of vapers.

For now, the numbers tell a clear story: the UK is becoming a nation of vapers rather than smokers. Over a million people who never smoked are now using e-cigarettes, and vaping has overtaken smoking among adults. The public health establishment faces a delicate task—celebrating the fall in tobacco use while remaining vigilant about the rise of nicotine consumption in other forms. As Hazel Cheeseman of ASH put it, the job of ending smoking is not yet complete, and the newest data offers both encouragement and a reminder of the work still to be done.