More Than One Million People Who Never Smoked Are Now Vaping
More Than One Million People Who Never Smoked Are Now Vaping
More than one million people in Great Britain who say they have never smoked cigarettes are now using e-cigarettes, according to newly released figures from the Office for National Statistics.
The figures, covering 2025, show that the number of never-smokers who vape has increased from about 940,000 in 2024 to around 1.1 million.
Vaping Has Now Overtaken Smoking
For the second consecutive year, more people aged 16 and over are using vapes than smoking cigarettes.
The latest figures estimate that about 5.4 million people aged 16 and over in Great Britain vape, compared with about 4.9 million people who smoke.
At the same time, the number of smokers continues to fall. In 2024, around 5.3 million people in the UK were smokers.
Young Adults Are No Longer the Biggest Vaping Group
People aged 25 to 34 are now the age group most likely to use e-cigarettes, overtaking those aged 16 to 24.
About 16.4% of people in the 25 to 34 age group reported vaping either daily or occasionally.
David Mais from the Office for National Statistics said the figures may reflect existing vapers getting older, increasing popularity among people in this age group, or a combination of both.
Smoking Rates Continue to Decline
The number of smokers has fallen significantly over recent years, with smoking now affecting fewer than one in 10 adults in the UK.
Among people aged 45 to 54, however, smoking remained more common than in other age groups, with 12.4% identified as current smokers in 2025.
Young adults aged 18 to 24 recorded the largest decline in smoking rates among the age groups measured.
Health Experts Warn That Vaping Is Not Risk-Free
Health authorities say vaping is generally less harmful than smoking cigarettes, but the long-term health effects of e-cigarette use are still not fully understood.
The NHS advises people who do not smoke, as well as children and young people, not to start vaping.
The new figures have therefore created a complicated picture: smoking continues to decline, but vaping is becoming increasingly common among people who have never smoked.
A Changing Picture of Nicotine Use
The data shows how quickly patterns of nicotine use are changing.
While millions of smokers appear to be moving away from cigarettes, the rise in vaping among never-smokers is raising new questions about how e-cigarettes are being used by people who might otherwise never have used nicotine products.
Source: BBC News and Office for National Statistics, October 6, 2026.
