Vaping overtakes smoking in UK for 2nd year running

Vaping has overtaken cigarette smoking among adults in the United Kingdom for the second year in a row, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Around 5.4 million adults age 16 and over in Great Britain used e-cigarettes daily or occasionally in 2025, or some 9.9% of the population.

By comparison, 8.7% of adults were current smokers, equivalent to around 4.8 million people. The figures mean e-cigarette use continued to outstrip cigarette smoking, a trend first seen in 2024.

The number of people using e-cigarettes remained broadly unchanged from 2024, when 5.4 million adults, or 10.0%, were recorded as users. However, the proportion has risen substantially over the longer term, from 6.4% in 2020.

E-cigarette use was highest among people age 25 to 34, with 16.4% using vapes daily or occasionally.

At the same time, cigarette smoking continued its long-term decline. Around 4.9 million people age 18 and over in the UK were smokers in 2025, or about 9.8% of the population, down from 10.6% in 2024.

The proportion of current smokers has fallen 10.4 percentage points since the ONS time series began in 2011, when 20.2% of adults smoked.

People age 45 to 54 had the highest smoking prevalence in 2025, at 12.4%.

The sharpest decline since 2011 was among 18- to 24-year-olds. Smoking prevalence in that age group fell from 25.7% in 2011 to 7.2% in 2025, plummeting 18.5 percentage points.

The latest figures point to a continuing shift in patterns of nicotine use, with cigarette smoking declining while e-cigarette use has become increasingly common.

In 2025, the ONS found that 9.9% of adults in the UK were current e-cigarette users, compared with 8.7% who were current smokers.