More than one million never-smokers vape, BBC reports
ONS figures reported by the BBC put vaping among people who say they have never smoked at more than one million in 2025, while UK adult smoking continued to fall.
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More than one million people aged 16 and over in Great Britain who say they have never smoked were vaping in 2025, up from about 940,000 in 2024, according to the BBC’s report of figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). [1]
The BBC reports that 16.4% of 25- to 34-year-olds used e-cigarettes daily or occasionally in 2025, a higher proportion than among 16- to 24-year-olds. David Mais of the ONS said the shift towards older users could reflect existing vapers ageing, growing use in that age group, or both. [1]
Smoking continued to decline, the BBC reports, with an estimated 4.9 million adult smokers across the UK in 2025, down from 5.3 million in 2024. That smoking figure covers a different population from the Great Britain vaping figures, so the totals are not directly comparable. [1]
The NHS says vaping is less harmful than smoking, but its long-term effects remain unclear, according to the BBC. It advises people who do not smoke, and those aged 17 or younger, not to vape. [1]
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