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In 2025, UK data shows that over one million adults who have never smoked are now using e-cigarettes, marking a significant increase from about 940,000 in the previous year. The age group most active in vaping is now 25 to 35-year-olds, surpassing the younger demographic of 16 to 24-year-olds. This shift coincides with an overall decline in smoking rates; currently, nearly one in ten adults (4.9 million people) are smokers, down from 5.3 million in 2024.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-06,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In 2025, 1 million UK adults who have never smoked are now vaping, up from around 940,000 in the previous year. The latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that among those aged 25-35, e-cigarette usage is highest, surpassing even the 16 to 24-year-old age group. For the second consecutive year, more over-16s in the UK are using vapes than smoking cigarettes; there are now 5.4 million people vaping compared to 4.9 million smokers, a decrease from 5.3 million smokers in 2024. Hazel Cheeseman from the charity Action on Smoking and Health noted that these statistics reflect encouraging progress in reducing smoking rates. New UK legislation set to take effect in early 2026 will permanently ban the legal sale of tobacco to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, aiming to create a "smoke-free" generation.
Written for “Vaping Among Nonsmokers UK” on 2026-10-06,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 59785 · logged 2026-10-06
- Published
More than a million people who say they have never tried a cigarette are now vapers, latest UK data for 2025 reveals, external - up from around 940,000 in 2024.
asserted
data → publish → 2024
People aged 25-35 are vaping more than any others, overtaking 16 to 24-year-olds, with 16.4% using e-cigarettes daily or occasionally.
asserted
% → age → cigarettes
For the second year in a row, more over-16s are using vapes or e-cigarettes than smoking cigarettes, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
uncertain
over-16s → use → Statistics
Meanwhile, the number of smokers in the UK continues to fall to nearly one in 10 adults, or 4.9 million people, down from 5.3 million in 2024, with more over-16s now vaping than smoking at 5.4 million.
asserted
over-16s → continue → million
Vaping has overtaken smoking
Experts say the popularity of cigarette smoking has decreased as the harmful effects of tobacco have encouraged many to quit.
asserted
effects → overtake → many
Vaping is less harmful than smoking, although the long-term effects are not yet clear, says the NHS.
asserted
effects → say → smoking
It says non-smokers and people aged 17 and under should never vape.
asserted
smokers → say → ?
The ONS figures show the percentage of people who had never used an e-cigarette continued to decrease in 2025 (83.0%) compared with 2024 (83.4%).
asserted
who → show → 2024
Twenty-five to 34-year-olds are now more likely to use vapes than 16 to 24-year-olds.
asserted
olds → use → olds
David Mais, from the ONS, said vapers were getting older and that "may reflect existing users getting older, growing popularity among this age group, or a combination of both".
Smoke-free generation
New legislation in the UK, external, taking affect in the new year, will permanently ban the legal sale of tobacco to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009 to create a "smoke-free" generation.
Hazel Cheeseman, from the charity Action on Smoking and Health, said the latest statics showed encouraging progress in cutting smoking rates.
uncertain
statics → say → rates
She added: "Smoking has fallen enormously over recent decades, but it remains the biggest driver of preventable death in the UK.
asserted
it → add → UK
Now is the time to finish the job."
asserted
time → finish → job
According to the ONS, men were more likely to smoke than women in 2025, similar to previous years.
uncertain
men → accord → years
And people aged 45-54 had the highest proportion of current smokers (12.4%).
asserted
people → age → smokers
Young adults aged 18 to 24 years have seen the largest drop in smoking among all age groups.
asserted
adults → age → groups
Of the people who currently smoked in 2025, half said they intended to quit.
asserted
they → smoke → 2025
Some 7.2% of people reported having used an e-cigarette, up from 6.6% in 2024.
asserted
% → report → 2024
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