Vaping Becomes the UK’s Main Nicotine Habit as Daily Use Surges Among Smokers

With disposable vapes banned and the Tobacco and Vapes Bill advancing through Parliament, 2025 became a pivotal year for the future of nicotine use in the UK. Ministers argue tougher regulation is needed to slow youth uptake, but the latest data on smoking and vaping tells a more nuanced story - one in which vaping has become a long-term alternative for smokers rather than a growing habit among non-smokers.

Link to interactive chart: https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/LojSS/1/

Daily use of e-cigarettes among adults has more than doubled since the start of the decade, driven mostly by ex and current smokers. Over just four years, daily vaping among smokers rose from around 7% in 2020 to nearly 16% in 2024. Among ex-smokers, daily use climbed to 17%, suggesting that e-cigarettes are increasingly being used as a substitute for cigarettes rather than an additional experiment.

However, uptake among people who have never smoked remains stable and low. Just 1% of never-smokers reported vaping daily in 2024, and more than 94% said they had never used an e-cigarette at all.

Interactive chart: https://www.datawrapper.de/_/sSa3M/

ONS survey data also points to a shift away from casual use. While occasional vaping peaked in 2023, daily use continued to rise into 2024, indicating that vaping has become a routine source of nicotine for many smokers. Among smokers, the proportion of occasional users decreased from 19% to 17% between 2023 and 2024, while the proportion of daily users increased over the same period.

Interactive chart: https://www.datawrapper.de/_/WrOFS/

The data also points to a subtle but notable shift in who vapes. Women now report slightly higher daily vaping rates than men among both smokers and ex-smokers, reversing a pattern that had persisted since the mid-2010s.

Caroline Cerny, deputy chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), said the figures reflect broader shifts in tobacco use across the UK.

“Smoking rates have fallen to historic lows, with more adults now vaping than smoking for the first time,” she said. “Evidence shows that e-cigarettes are much less harmful than smoking, and their role in helping people quit is contributing to the long-term decline in smoking.”

However, she warned that progress has been uneven and concerns remain about preventing uptake among non-smokers and young people. “The Tobacco and Vapes Bill allows the government to reinforce vaping’s role as a quitting tool, while restricting marketing and access in ways that protect young people,” Cerny said.

As policymakers push for tighter restrictions, including plans to phase out tobacco sales for future generations, the data suggests vaping has become closely tied to the decline in smoking. This leaves policymakers the challenge of how to drive down cigarette use further, without allowing vaping to become a widespread and lightly regulated habit of its own.