Campaigners welcome Office for National Statistics data showing 5.4 million people now vape compared to 4.9 million smokers
More people are now vaping than smoking in Britain for the first time.
The Office for National Statistics found the number of over-16s using e-cigarettes daily or occasionally was 5.4 million, overtaking tobacco smokers at 4.9 million. The biggest fall in smoking was among young adults with 8.1% smoking in 2024, down from 25.7% in 2011.
Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of anti-smoking charity ASH, said: “It is a significant moment that for the first time more adults consume nicotine through vapes than tobacco. The growth in vaping has almost certainly contributed to the fall in smoking and is therefore to be welcomed.
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“However the concerns about non-smokers and young people taking up vaping remain.”
Despite the generational shift towards vaping there was a slight fall in men using e-cigarettes in the last year, from 11% in 2023 down to 10.1% in 2024. However more women were vaping at 10% in 2024, up from 8.5% the previous year.
The data suggests a Government crackdown on brightly coloured, sweet flavoured disposable e-cigarettes targeted at children is working.
Increases in younger people vaping appear to have stalled. The 16 to 24 age group saw a fall in daily vaping, from 6.9% to 6.1%. Those aged 35 to 49 saw the largest increase from 6.8% in 2023 to 9.5% in 2024 and the ONS reported that most vapers are current or ex-smokers.
Ms Cheeseman added: “The fall in smoking rates in the UK is an achievement at a time when European trends in smoking have stagnated. We have sustained progress because of a long-term commitment to comprehensive tobacco control, including support to help people quit.
“However behind the statistic of five million people still smoking are individuals trapped in a cycle of addiction that will likely take their lives. The cost of this is felt across the economy and places a significant burden on our NHS.”
Smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in the UK responsible for over 70,000 deaths every year.
The use of e-cigarettes “daily or occasionally” remained highest among 16 to 24 year olds in 2024 at 13.0% – but this is down from 15.8% in 2023. Those using e-cigarettes “daily” were most likely to be in the 25-34 and the 35-49 age groups, both of which saw an increase from 2023 to 9.3% and 9.5% respectively in 2024.
The percentage of people smoking has reached a historic low across the UK at 10.6% of over-18s. This is down 0.5 percentage points from last year’s data.
Smoking rates at the different UK nations was 10.4% in England, 11.4% in Wales, 12% in Scotland and 10.5% in Northern Ireland.
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John Britton, Emeritus Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Nottingham, said: “These figures vindicate UK tobacco policy over the past 15 years, with the transition to vaping leading to unprecedented reductions in smoking prevalence, especially among young people. This process will prevent millions of premature deaths in the coming decades.”
The estimates comparing vaping and smoking are from the ONS Opinion and Lifestyle Survey and relate to Great Britain. The official rates for smoking in the UK come from its Annual Population Survey.
