More than 1 million people in Great Britain who have never been regular smokers now use e-cigarettes, with rates nearly doubling in four years, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures that health experts describe as concerning.
About 5.4 million people aged 16 and above in England, Scotland and Wales (9.9%) used e-cigarettes daily or occasionally in 2025. Vaping was highest among those aged 25-34 (16.4%).
Sharp rise among never-smokers
The ONS also found about 2.9% (1.1 million) of Britons who had never smoked cigarettes reported using an e-cigarette daily or occasionally. The proportion of never-smokers now vaping has almost doubled since 2021, when 1.5% reported current e-cigarette use.
Estimates published in the Lancet Public Health journal in 2024 suggested there were 1,006,000 people in England who vaped despite never having smoked. The data published on Tuesday was the first time official ONS figures confirmed the number for England, Scotland and Wales had topped 1 million, up from 940,000 in 2024.
Health experts respond
Justin Webb, an associate professor of physical activity and health at London Metropolitan University, said it was “somewhat concerning that 1.1 million people who have never smoked reported using an e-cigarette”.
He added: “Vapes can help adults stop smoking, but they are not risk-free and their full long-term effects remain unclear. We need to preserve their value as a quitting aid while strengthening protection against uptake among children and non-smokers.”
Age group shift
The ONS data showed 25-34 was the only age group in which there was a rise in e-cigarette use, increasing from 12.9% in 2024 to 16.4% in 2025. That made the age group the most common users of e-cigarettes in the UK, overtaking 16- to 24-year-olds, who were the most common users between 2021 and 2024.
Separate ONS figures covering all four nations of the UK showed about 4.9 million people aged 18 and over (9.8% of the population) smoked cigarettes in 2025, a decrease from 2024 (10.6%) and continuing a long-term downward trend.
David Mais, from the ONS, said: “Fewer than one in 10 adults now smoke. This is the lowest proportion on record and continues the long-term decline in smoking.
“At the same time, e-cigarette use remains more common than smoking and has followed an overall upward trend since 2020.
“E-cigarette users are also getting older, with those aged 25 to 34 now overtaking 16- to 24-year-olds as the age group most likely to use them. This may reflect existing users getting older, growing popularity among this age group or a combination of both.”
Men were more likely to smoke than women in the UK in 2025, continuing a trend observed in previous years. About 2.8 million men (11.3%) and 2.1 million women (8.2%) were thought to be current smokers. The largest reduction in smoking prevalence between 2011 and 2025 was among the 18-24 age group, from 25.7% to 7.2%.
Hazel Cheeseman, the chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said: “For the first time, fewer than one in 10 people in the UK smoke. This is really encouraging progress and shows what can be achieved through sustained action to reduce smoking.”
