Number of vapers overtakes smokers for the first time

The number of people who vape has overtaken the number who smoke for the first time, new figures suggest.

One in 10 adults (10%) aged 16 and over in Britain use e-cigarettes every day or occasionally, according to 2024 data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

This is compared with 9.1% who said they smoke cigarettes daily or occasionally.

This equates to around 5.4 million vapers and 4.9 million smokers, the ONS figures suggest.

A decade earlier – in 2014 – some 18.8% of British adults aged 16 and older were cigarette users, compared to 3.7% being vape users.

David Mais, from the ONS, said: “Interestingly, our 2024 data show that, for the first time, the number of users of e-cigarettes or vapes has overtaken the number of smokers.

“Among adults aged 16 (and over) in Great Britain, 10% said they were e-cigarette users, compared with 9.1% that were cigarette smokers.

“This is in line with the long-term trend of fewer people smoking cigarettes over the past decade.”

The proportion 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 proportion of men who use vapes on a daily or occasional basis reduced in 2024, compared with 2023.

In 2023 11% of men who took part in the ONS’ Opinions and Lifestyle Survey, a survey of adults in Great Britain aged 16 years and over, reported daily or occasional vaping.

This reduced to 10.1% in 2024.

The figures show daily or occasional vape use was highest among people aged 16-24 in 2024 at 13% – though 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.

An estimated 6.7% of people aged 16 and over in Britain reported using an e-cigarette “daily” in 2024, up from 5.9% in 2023, the ONS data showed.

Meanwhile, the figures also reveal the proportion of vape users who have never smoked.

Around 2.7% of those who had never smoked reported using an e-cigarette daily or occasionally.

Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, 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.

“However, the concerns about non-smokers and young people taking up vaping remain.

“New powers to further regulate vapes in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill are a good opportunity to maintain the current trends by restricting marketing and reinforcing the role of vapes as a quitting tool.”

Deborah Arnott, honorary associate professor at University College London (UCL), added: “The ONS data showing that more people now vape than smoke underlines the need for greater regulation.

“Vaping is not risk-free and should only be used to help smokers quit it, but inadequate regulation has led to the growth in use of e-cigarettes by never smokers in recent years, particularly among young people.

“The Tobacco and Vapes Bill currently before Parliament must be put on the statute book without delay. Then, and only then, can regulations be brought forward to reduce the appeal and accessibility of vapes to those who’ve never smoked.”

Simon Clark, director of the smokers’ rights group Forest, said: “Smoking rates have been falling for decades, largely because people have been educated about the health risks.

“More recently, products such as vapes and nicotine pouches have provided reduced risk alternatives to cigarettes, encouraging millions of smokers to switch and quit voluntarily.”

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.”

Separate figures published by the ONS on Tuesday show that Fenland in Cambridgeshire is the local authority in the UK with the highest average percentage of adults aged 18 and over who are current smokers (19.8%), followed by Blackpool in Lancashire (19.7%), South Holland in Lincolnshire (18.9%), Hull (18.5%) and North Lanarkshire in Scotland (18.5%).

These figures are averages for the period 2020-24, as smoker estimates can vary considerably from year to year due to small sample sizes.

The local authority with the lowest percentage is Woking in Surrey (4.2%), followed by Epsom & Ewell in Surrey (4.8%), St Albans in Hertfordshire (5.4%), Wokingham in Berkshire (6.0%) and East Dunbartonshire in Scotland (6.1%).