How Many People Vape in the UK in 2025

The number of e-cigarette users in the United Kingdom has risen abruptly to around a million people despite never regularly smoking tobacco. According to the latest 2024 figures, the statistics of UK adult vape users have touched their highest intensities since 2017. Read further to learn the analyses of this factsheet on how many people vape in the UK in 2024.

Content

Patterns of Vaping In the UK
Current Use Of E-Cigarettes By UK Youth
Age Gradient In Vaping

Patterns of Vaping In the UK

As per the statistics in the Guardian, the number of people vaping in England has now reached one million despite never having been regular smokers. According to research, a seven-fold increase in just three years has impelled alarm among health experts.

An analysis was carried out using the ASH Smokefree GB Youth Survey. It is based on data collected by YouGov for ASH about young vape users aged 11-18 each year. It began in 2013, and this survey update includes the results of the 2024 survey. Unless stated otherwise, this factsheet reports results for 11–17-year-olds, under the legal vaping age (n=2,336). Another point to be noted is that the rates of vaping among 11–17-year-olds seem to be stabilized after a period of growth.

Source: The Guardian The Lancet Public Health

Current Use Of E-Cigarettes By UK Youth

The survey of smoking and vaping attitudes and behavior among 11–18-year-olds indicates that 18.0% of young people had tried vaping in 2024.

The trend of increasing vaping rates was significantly recorded each year from 2021 (3.2%) to 2023 (7.6%), but a fall has been seen in this trend into 2024. While, the ever-vaping rate was considerably low in 2024, and lower than in the previous 4 years.

Pattern of Vaping in the UK

More than that, the data collection for 2020 was before the lockdown. Therefore, lower levels of vaping may be linked to the influence of the pandemic on the lives of the stated people in 2021. Among these, Delta 8 carts have gained traction as a favored option for those seeking smoother, less intense vaping.

Besides this, the significant growth from 6.9% in 2022 to 7.6% in 2023 may be due to experimentation, which is trying once or twice. This increase will not be followed by 7.2% in 2024. The current vaping doubled at 3.2% in 2021 and 6.9% in 2022 and has stayed almost static since 7.2% in 2024. The use of vaping among 11–17-year-olds in the UK increased by 1.2% in 2021, with 4.2% more than weekly in 2024.

Independently, another study published in the Lancet Public Health determined that eliminating tobacco smoking by hastening procedures could help prevent millions of premature deaths and improve life expectancy worldwide by 2050.

Source: The Lancet Public Health

Age Gradient In Vaping

A study published in The Lancet Public Health journal suggests that in 2021, around one in 200 which is about 133,000 adults were vapers. Plus, this rate of e-cigarette use by vapers who had never regularly smoked was stable until then. Although, this proportion has sharply surged to one in 28 which is around 1,006,000 people who use vapes in 2024.

A study in the BMJ Journal of Medical Research has found the number of UK adults vaping cigarettes despite never smoking tobacco regularly has heightened to around a million people.

Researchers at University College London (UCL) projected the vaping frequency in the UK. It is done by analyzing survey data of 153 073 adults from July 2016 to April 2024.

The frequency of experimentation and regular use rises with age. People who ever vape e-cigarettes are the highest in the older age groups. This rate is considered with 14% of 11–15-year-olds ever having vaped compared with 28% of 16–17-year-olds and 34% of 18-year-olds. Whilst, the definition of ‘ever use’ means no longer using them but in the past and ‘once or twice’ experimentation.

Source: BMJ

Current Use Of E-Cigarettes By Age

This percentage of peak usage among 18-year-olds is 17% that reported current e-cigarette use. It is showing a prominent prevalence in this age group. This survey was conducted with 2,872 respondents aged 11-18 years. This age-related trend of e-cigarette usage likely rises with age during adolescence due to factors like peer influence, independence, and marketing.

current use of e cigarette by age

As per new figures, the number of adult vapers in the UK has touched its top levels since 2017. Research conducted by public health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) reveals figures that some 5.6 million adults are using vapes in the UK. It is the equivalent of around 11% of the adult population. More than half 53% of these adults are former smokers.

This data also indicates the number of adult vapers have almost doubled who both smoke and vape since 2021 in the UK. It is increasing from 17% to 32%. This number reaches around 2.2 million people.

Source: Dentistry.co.uk (Statista)

Use Of E-Cigarettes By Smoking Status

According to new statistics published on 17 October 2024, nearly 1 in 10 which is 9% people vape frequently. A quarter of 11 to 15-year-olds have tried vaping.

use of e cigarette by smoking status

The proportion of children vaping in 2021 has been larger than those currently smoking 7.2% compared to 5.1% in 2024. Whilst, 2.8% of 11–17-year-olds are dual users of cigarettes and vapes in 2024, and 9.5% use at least one of them.

Source: England (NHS)

Types Of Products Used

There’s been a significant modification in the most used devices over time. Over half of current vapers, 54% aged 11-17 use the disposable device type for vape in 2024. However, before 2021, disposable vapes are quite less popular. Then a 7-fold surge of cheap delta 8 disposable has been between 2020 and 2022. Now a ban on disposable vape is about to derive by April 2025. Therefore we are going to see the changes in the types of products being used by next year.

Most Frequently Used Vapes By Device Type

The most popular brand of disposable vape among youth aged 11-17 is Elf Bar with 61% of current vapers have tried in the past few years. The next most popular ones are Crystal Bar with 51% and Lost Mary with 43%. Crystal Bar is particularly more popular than last year, with only 27% of current vapers using the brand.

Most Frequently used vapes by device type

Also, none of the main products are made by tobacco companies on the market, with their brand of modern disposable vapes. This survey also indicates that 12% of current vapers aged 11-17 had tried Vuse Go. BAT launched 2 other products named Imperial the Blu Bar and PMI its Veeba disposable in 2022.

Brand Of Devices Ever Tried By UK Vapers

Indicators of dependence

In 2024, the rate of current vapers using nicotine-free vapes is 5.3%. Furthermore, a quarter 27% of people use vapes that are below the maximum legal nicotine strength of 20mg/ml. In another quarter 24% of vapers used vapes at that limit whereas the users who vape above the limit are reported 12%. The percentage of remaining users who didn’t know or didn’t want to say their usual vape strength is 31%.

Brand Of Devices Ever Tried By UK Vapers

Most Frequently Used Vape Liquid Flavour

The most frequently used vape flavoring for 59% of current young vapers is the ‘fruit flavor’. The next most popular chosen by 16% are sweet flavors. Although, no other flavor is recorded by more than 10% of current young vapers. Fruit is also the most popular flavor among adults with 47%. For users who prefer non-vaping alternatives, products like cheap Delta 8 flower and Delta 8 gummies are also increasingly popular.

Most Frequently Used Vape Liquid Flavour

Final Inference

The current evidence underscores the substantial potential of the vaping trend in the UK nowadays. Our analysis quantifies the substantial increase in the number of adult vapers rose to a record high since 2017, with a much larger increase among those who have never smoked tobacco regularly. Youth vaping rates initially showed an increase but seemed to stabilize, and both reflected experimentation and the influence of targeted regulations.

However, a continuation of the existing data also illustrates that the preference for disposable devices is growing, especially among younger users, and is dominated by brands such as Elf Bar and Crystal Bar. This transition underlines the continuous need for public health measures that reduce nicotine addiction and the risks associated with the use of e-cigarettes, especially among young people.

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