More than 1.1 million people in Great Britain now vape despite never having smoked regularly, with official figures revealing a sharp rise in non-smokers taking up e-cigarettes between 2021 and 2025. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) data shows vaping remains more prevalent than traditional smoking across England, Scotland and Wales, marking a significant shift in nicotine consumption patterns among adults.
Never-smokers double their vaping habits in four years
The most striking finding from the latest ONS survey is the dramatic increase in vaping among those who had never smoked cigarettes. In 2021, just 1.5% of never-smokers reported using e-cigarettes, but by 2025 this figure had nearly doubled to 2.9% – representing approximately 1.1 million individuals. This surge follows estimates from the Lancet Public Health journal suggesting 1,006,000 people in England alone were vaping without a smoking history, but the new data confirms these trends across the entire UK.
The increase is particularly notable given that vaping products were initially promoted as tools to help smokers quit rather than attract new users. Health experts have raised concerns about the potential gateway effect, where young people and non-smokers might be drawn into nicotine addiction through flavoured and discreet vaping devices.
25-34 age group emerges as primary vaping demographic
For the first time, the 25-34 age bracket has become the largest group of vapers in the UK, with 16.4% reporting either daily or occasional e-cigarette use in 2025. This represents a significant jump from 12.9% in the previous year and marks the first occasion this cohort has overtaken younger users aged 16-24, who previously dominated vaping statistics.
This shift suggests either that existing vapers are aging with their habits or that the 25-34 demographic is increasingly adopting vaping as a lifestyle choice. David Mais from the ONS noted this trend may reflect “existing users getting older, growing popularity among this age group or a combination of both.” The professional demographic could be particularly susceptible to workplace social pressures or stress-related coping mechanisms.
Smoking rates continue downward trajectory while vaping climbs
While vaping prevalence rises, traditional cigarette smoking continues its long-term decline. In 2025, approximately 4.9 million people aged 18 and over across the UK were current smokers, representing 9.8% of the adult population – down from 10.6% in 2024 and the lowest proportion on record.
Men remain more likely to smoke than women, with 11.3% of male adults (2.8 million) compared to 8.2% of female adults (2.1 million) reporting current cigarette use. The most dramatic reduction occurred among 18-24 year olds, whose smoking rates fell from 25.7% in 2011 to just 7.2% in 2025, demonstrating the effectiveness of targeted youth prevention campaigns and social stigma shifts.
Justin Webb, an associate professor at London Metropolitan University, emphasised the need for balanced policy approaches: “Vapes can help adults stop smoking, but they are not risk-free and their full long-term effects remain unclear. We need to preserve their value as a quitting aid while strengthening protection against uptake among children and non-smokers.”
Why it Matters
These figures reveal a complex public health landscape where harm reduction strategies may inadvertently create new vulnerabilities. The doubling of vaping among never-smokers in just four years raises urgent questions about marketing practices, product regulation, and whether current policies adequately protect non-smokers from nicotine addiction. As vaping overtakes smoking for the first time in recorded history, policymakers face the delicate challenge of preserving legitimate cessation tools while preventing the normalization of nicotine use among populations that have never needed it. The long-term respiratory and cardiovascular implications remain uncertain, making immediate action on youth access and product standards critical for safeguarding future generations’ health.
