FLASH NEWS
For the first time! The number of e-cigarette users exceeds the number of smokers
2025-11-05 08:30:03 / MISTERE&KURIOZITETE
The number of people using e-cigarettes in the UK has surpassed the number of those taking up smoking for the first time, new figures suggest.
One in 10 adults (10%) aged 16 and over in Britain use e-cigarettes daily or occasionally, according to 2024 data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
This compares to 9.1% who said they smoke cigarettes daily or occasionally.
This equates to around 5.4 million e-cigarette users and 4.9 million smokers, ONS figures suggest.
A decade ago – in 2014 – around 18.8% of British adults aged 16 and over were e-cigarette users, compared to 3.7% who were non-vaping users.
David Mais, from the ONS, said: “Interestingly, our 2024 data shows that, for the first time, the number of e-cigarette or vaping users has exceeded the number of smokers.
"Among adults aged 16 (and over) in the UK, 10% said they were e-cigarette users, compared to 9.1% who were smokers.
"This is consistent with the long-term trend of fewer people smoking over the last decade."
The percentage of women who vape daily or occasionally has increased, while it has decreased among men, according to the figures.
One in 10 women reported using e-cigarettes daily or occasionally in 2024, up from 8.5% in 2023.
Meanwhile, the percentage of men who use e-cigarettes daily or occasionally decreased in 2024, compared to 2023.
In 2023, 11% of men who took part in the ONS Opinion and Lifestyle Survey, a survey of adults in the UK aged 16 and over, reported using e-cigarettes daily or occasionally.
This decreased to 10.1% in 2024.
The figures show that daily or occasional use of e-cigarettes was highest among people aged 16-24 in 2024 at 13% - although this is down from 15.8%.
Daily use was most likely among people aged 25 to 34 and those aged 35 to 49 in 2024.
Around 6.7% of people aged 16 and over in Britain reported using an e-cigarette "every day" in 2024, up from 5.9% in 2023, ONS data showed.
Meanwhile, the figures also reveal the percentage of e-cigarette users who have never smoked.
About 2.7% of those who had never smoked reported using an e-cigarette daily or occasionally.
Hazel Cheeseman, executive director of Action on Smoking and Health, said: “It is a significant moment that for the first time more adults are consuming nicotine through e-cigarettes than tobacco.
The rise in e-cigarette use has almost certainly contributed to the decline in smoking and should therefore be welcomed.
However, concerns about non-smokers and young people starting to use e-cigarettes remain.
“The new powers to further regulate e-cigarettes in the Tobacco and Electronic Cigarettes Bill are a good opportunity to maintain current trends by restricting marketing and reinforcing the role of e-cigarettes as a tool for quitting smoking.”
Deborah Arnott, honorary associate professor at University College London (UCL), added: “ONS data showing that more people now use e-cigarettes than tobacco underlines the need for greater regulation.
“Vaping is not without risk and should only be used to help smokers quit, but inadequate regulation has led to increased use of e-cigarettes by those who have never smoked in recent years, particularly among young people.
“The Tobacco and E-Cigarettes Bill currently before Parliament should be enacted into law without delay. Then, and only then, can regulations be introduced to reduce the appeal and accessibility of e-cigarettes for those who have never smoked.”
Simon Clark, director of smokers' rights group Forest, said: "Smoking rates have been falling for decades, largely because people have been educated about the health risks.
"Recently, products such as e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches have offered reduced-risk alternatives to cigarettes, encouraging millions of smokers to switch and quit voluntarily."
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