Vaping has surged to unprecedented levels in Great Britain, with an estimated 4.3 million adults now using e-cigarettes, according to a report by Action on Smoking and Health (Ash). This marks a significant increase from approximately 800,000 users a decade ago, representing a rise from 1.7% to 8.3% of the adult population.
The report highlights that 18- to 24-year-olds have become the largest demographic of vapers, at 11% in 2022, up from 5% in 2021. Among children aged 11 to 17, vaping prevalence has risen from 4% in 2020 to 7% in 2022, despite it being illegal to sell vapes to under-18s. Hazel Cheeseman, Ash’s deputy chief executive, expressed concern over youth vaping, calling for government action to address the trend.
Of the 4.3 million vapers, 2.4 million are ex-smokers, 1.5 million are current smokers, and 350,000 have never smoked. Cheeseman noted that vaping among never-smokers tends to be rare and experimental. The report also found that 35% of current vapers also smoke, though daily vapers among this group smoked fewer cigarettes than less frequent users.
Despite the rise in vaping, smoking rates continue to decline. In England, adult smoking prevalence fell from 20% to 14% between 2011 and 2019. The report credits e-cigarettes with helping an estimated 69,930 additional former smokers in England in 2017. However, a third of adults mistakenly believe vaping is as or more harmful than smoking, which the report’s authors say is incorrect.
