More than one million people in the UK who say they have never smoked a cigarette are now using vapes, according to the latest 2025 data, highlighting a major shift in the country’s smoking and vaping habits.
The number of never-smokers who vape has risen from about 940,000 in 2024 to more than one million in 2025.
For the second consecutive year, more people aged over 16 are using vapes or e-cigarettes than smoking cigarettes.
The figures show that about 5.4 million people now vape, compared with 4.9 million who smoke.
The number of smokers has also continued to decline, falling from 5.3 million in 2024 to 4.9 million in 2025, meaning fewer than one in 10 adults in the UK now smoke.
Younger adults drive vaping growth
People aged 25 to 34 have become the most likely age group to vape, overtaking those aged 16 to 24.
About 16.4% of people in the 25-34 age group reported using e-cigarettes either daily or occasionally.
David Mais of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said vapers were getting older, adding that this “may reflect existing users getting older, growing popularity among this age group, or a combination of both”.
The proportion of people who had never used an e-cigarette also fell slightly, from 83.4% in 2024 to 83.0% in 2025.
Smoking continues to decline
The decline in smoking has been linked to growing awareness of the health risks associated with tobacco and efforts by smokers to quit.
The NHS says vaping is less harmful than smoking, although the long-term health effects of vaping are still not fully known. It advises non-smokers and people aged 17 and under not to vape.
Among smokers in 2025, half said they intended to quit.
People aged 45 to 54 recorded the highest smoking rate at 12.4%, while young adults aged 18 to 24 experienced the biggest decline in smoking among all age groups.
Men were also more likely to smoke than women, continuing a trend seen in previous years.
UK targets a smoke-free generation
The latest figures come as the UK prepares to introduce legislation that will permanently ban the legal sale of tobacco to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009.
The policy is designed to create a “smoke-free” generation.
Hazel Cheeseman of Action on Smoking and Health said the figures showed encouraging progress in reducing smoking but warned that tobacco remains a major public health concern.
“Smoking has fallen enormously over recent decades, but it remains the biggest driver of preventable death in the UK. Now is the time to finish the job.”
Kruti Shrotri of Cancer Research UK also welcomed the continued fall in smoking rates but stressed the dangers of tobacco.
“While a continued fall in smoking rates is encouraging, tobacco remains the leading cause of cancer in the UK.
“Although we don’t know the long-term risks of vaping, evidence so far shows that legal vapes are less harmful than tobacco and an effective tool to stop smoking.”
The ONS vaping figures cover people aged 16 and over in Great Britain, while the smoking statistics cover adults across the whole of the UK.
