The Guardian
· collected 2026-10-06 · by Andrew Gregory Health editor
In Great Britain, the number of people who vape without ever having been regular smokers has nearly doubled over four years, reaching about 1.1 million individuals in 2025. This trend is described as concerning by health experts, despite vaping's potential benefits for smoking cessation. The Office for National Statistics reported that e-cigarette use peaked among those aged 25-34 at 16.4%, surpassing the younger age group traditionally most likely to vape.
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, more than one million UK adults who have never smoked are now vaping, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), marking a near doubling since 2021. Among these non-smokers, those aged 25-34 years old lead in e-cigarette usage at 16.4%, surpassing younger age groups. Overall, 5.4 million people over 16 in England, Scotland, and Wales used vapes or e-cigarettes regularly in 2025, outnumbering the number of smokers for the second consecutive year. The UK aims to create a "smoke-free" generation by banning tobacco sales to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009 starting from the new year. While vaping is considered less harmful than smoking by the NHS, some experts like Hazel Cheeseman from Action on Smoking and Health see it as encouraging progress in reducing smoking rates, while others express concern about its rising use among never-smokers.
Written for “Vaping Among Never Smokers Increases” on 2026-10-06,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
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No political leaning scored for article 60460 · logged 2026-10-06
More than 1 million people in Great Britain now vape despite never having been regular smokers, with rates nearly doubling in just four years, according to figures that health experts describe as concerning.
uncertain
experts → vape → that
About 5.4 million people aged 16 and above in England, Scotland and Wales (9.9%) used e-cigarettes daily or occasionally in 2025, Office for National Statistics data showed.
asserted
data → age → Statistics
Vaping was highest among those aged 25-34 (16.4%).
asserted
Vaping → age → those
However, the ONS also found about 2.9% (1.1 million) of Britons who had never smoked cigarettes reported using an e-cigarette daily or occasionally.
asserted
who → find → cigarette
The proportion of never-smokers now vaping has increased sharply, almost doubling, since 2021, when 1.5% of people who had never smoked reported that they currently used e-cigarettes.
asserted
they → vape → cigarettes
Estimates published in the Lancet Public Health journal in 2024 suggested there were 1,006,000 people in England who vaped despite never having smoked.
uncertain
who → publish → England
But the data published on Tuesday was the first time official ONS figures had confirmed that the figure for England, Scotland and Wales had topped 1 million.
asserted
figure → publish → million
The 2025 figure for Great Britain (1.1 million) was up from 940,000 in 2024, the ONS said.
asserted
ONS → say → 2024
Justin Webb, an associate professor of physical activity and health at London Metropolitan University, said it was “somewhat concerning that 1.1 million people who have never smoked reported using an e-cigarette”.
asserted
who → say → cigarette
He added: “Vapes can help adults stop smoking, but they are not risk-free and their full long-term effects remain unclear.
uncertain
effects → add → ?
We need to preserve their value as a quitting aid while strengthening protection against uptake among children and non-smokers.
asserted
We → need → children
The ONS data showed 25-34 was the only age group in which there was a rise in e-cigarette use, increasing from 12.9% in 2024 to 16.4% in 2025.
asserted
25 → show → 2025
That made the age group the most common users of e-cigarettes in the UK, overtaking 16- to 24-year-olds, who were the most common users between 2021 and 2024.
asserted
who → make → 2021
Meanwhile, separate ONS figures covering all four nations of the UK showed about 4.9 million people aged 18 and over (9.8% of the population) smoked cigarettes in 2025.
asserted
people → cover → 2025
This was a decrease from 2024 (10.6%) and continues a long-term downward trend.
asserted
This → continue → trend
David Mais, from the ONS, said: “Fewer than one in 10 adults now smoke.
asserted
adults → say → ONS
This is the lowest proportion on record and continues the long-term decline in smoking.
asserted
This → continue → smoking
“At the same time, e-cigarette use remains more common than smoking and has followed an overall upward trend since 2020.
asserted
use → remain → 2020
“E-cigarette users are also getting older, with those aged 25 to 34 now overtaking 16- to 24-year-olds as the age group most likely to use them.
asserted
those → get → them
This may reflect existing users getting older, growing popularity among this age group or a combination of both.
uncertain
users → reflect → both
When it comes to smoking, men were more likely to smoke than women in the UK in 2025, continuing a trend observed in previous years.
asserted
men → come → years
About 2.8 million men (11.3%) and 2.1m women (8.2%) were thought to be current smokers.
asserted
men → think → ?
The largest reduction in smoking prevalence between 2011 and 2025 was among the 18-24 age group, from 25.7% to 7.2%, the ONS found.
asserted
ONS → find → %
Hazel Cheeseman, the chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health, said: “For the first time, fewer than one in 10 people in the UK smoke.
asserted
people → say → UK
This is really encouraging progress and shows what can be achieved through sustained action to reduce smoking.”
asserted
what → encourage → smoking
The Aporia
