More Brits Now Vape Than Smoke for the First Time

For the first time ever, more adults in Great Britain are vaping than smoking, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The 2024 data shows that 10% of adults aged 16 and over use e-cigarettes daily or occasionally, compared to 9.1% who smoke cigarettes. That’s around 5.4 million vapers and 4.9 million smokers, marking a historic turning point in Britain’s relationship with nicotine.

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

Smoking rates have plummeted from nearly half the population in the 1970s to under one in ten today, helped by public health campaigns and anti-smoking laws such as bans in workplaces and plain packaging for nicotine products. Meanwhile, vaping — which was introduced as a less harmful alternative to smoking — has surged in popularity, particularly among younger adults and women.

The survey found that 6.7% of adults vape daily, up from 5.9% in 2023. Daily use is most common among 25 to 49-year-olds, while the highest overall use (daily or occasional) is among 16 to 24-year-olds, at 13%, although that figure has dipped slightly from last year’s 15.8%. Women appear to be driving much of the increase. One in ten women reported vaping daily or occasionally in 2024, up from 8.5% in 2023, while use among men slipped slightly from 11% to 10.1%.

Experts say the rise in vaping is closely tied to the sharp drop in smoking. Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, called it “a significant moment that for the first time more adults consume nicotine through vapes than tobacco.” She added, “The growth in vaping has almost certainly contributed to the fall in smoking and is therefore to be welcomed.”

However, health officials remain cautious. The NHS says vaping poses only a small fraction of the risks of smoking, since e-cigarettes don’t produce the thousands of toxic chemicals released by burning tobacco — but they aren’t risk-free. Doctors warn that long-term health effects are still unclear, with some studies raising concerns about nicotine dependence, heart issues, and lung disease.

Critics also point to the growing number of non-smokers, especially young people, picking up vaping. Around 2.7% of people who have never smoked now vape, according to the ONS. Campaigners say colourful packaging and sweet flavours are luring teens towards vaping, despite laws banning sales to under-18s.

Deborah Arnott, honorary associate professor at University College London, said: “Vaping is not risk-free and should only be used to help smokers quit it… The Tobacco and Vapes Bill currently before Parliament must be put on the statute book without delay.” The government’s new legislation will go further — banning anyone born after 1 January 2009 from ever legally buying tobacco in the UK, as part of its plan to make England smoke-free by 2030.

With fewer people lighting up and millions now turning to e-cigarettes, Britain’s smoking culture is fading fast — but the vaping debate is only just heating up.