ONS: over one million UK adults who never smoked now vape
ONS figures for 2025 show about 1.1 million people in Great Britain vape despite never having smoked regularly, up from 940,000 in 2024. Smoking fell to a record low, and e-cigarette use remains more common than smoking.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2Office for National Statistics (ONS) data for 2025, published on 6 October 2026, show that more than a million people who have never smoked now use e-cigarettes, up from about 940,000 in 2024. BBC NewsN “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.” Read at BBC News ↗ The GuardianLC “The 2025 figure for Great Britain (1.1 million) was up from 940,000 in 2024, the ONS said.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Left · 1The Guardian reports that 2.9% of Britons who had never smoked used an e-cigarette daily or occasionally, almost double the 1.5% in 2021. It adds that this was the first time official ONS figures confirmed the figure for England, Scotland and Wales had topped 1 million, after a 2024 Lancet Public Health estimate of 1,006,000 for England alone. The GuardianLC “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.”“the data published on Tuesday was the first time official ONS figures have confirmed” Read at The Guardian ↗ Mixed · 2About 5.4 million people aged 16 and over (9.9%) in Great Britain vaped daily or occasionally in 2025. For the second year running, more over-16s vaped than smoked. The GuardianLC “About 5.4 million people aged 16 and above in England, Scotland and Wales (9.9%) used e-cigarettes daily or occasionally in 2025” Read at The Guardian ↗ BBC NewsN “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).” Read at BBC News ↗
Mixed · 2People aged 25-34 are now the most likely to vape, at 16.4%, overtaking 16-24-year-olds, who had been the top group from 2021 to 2024. The Guardian says this was the only age group where use rose, from 12.9% in 2024. The GuardianLC “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.” Read at The Guardian ↗ BBC NewsN “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.” Read at BBC News ↗ Mixed · 2David Mais of the ONS said vapers are getting older, which "may reflect existing users getting older, growing popularity among this age group, or a combination of both". BBC NewsN “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".” Read at BBC News ↗ The GuardianLC “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.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Mixed · 2Smoking continues to fall. About 4.9 million people, fewer than one in 10 adults, smoked in 2025, down from 5.3 million in 2024 according to the BBC. The Guardian gives 9.8% of those aged 18 and over, against 10.6% in 2024, and quotes the ONS calling it the lowest proportion on record. BBC NewsN “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” Read at BBC News ↗ The GuardianLC “about 4.9 million people aged 18 and over (9.8% of the population) smoked cigarettes in 2025. This was a decrease from 2024 (10.6%)”“This is the lowest proportion on record and continues the long-term decline in smoking.” Read at The Guardian ↗
Mixed · 2Men were more likely to smoke than women (the Guardian gives 11.3% and 8.2%). The BBC says 45-54-year-olds had the highest share of current smokers (12.4%). The Guardian says 18-24-year-olds saw the largest fall between 2011 and 2025, from 25.7% to 7.2%. The GuardianLC “About 2.8 million men (11.3%) and 2.1m women (8.2%) were thought to be current smokers.”“from 25.7% to 7.2%” Read at The Guardian ↗ BBC NewsN “people aged 45-54 had the highest proportion of current smokers (12.4%).” Read at BBC News ↗ Mixed · 2Hazel Cheeseman of Action on Smoking and Health welcomed the fall in smoking. She told the BBC that smoking remains the biggest driver of preventable death in the UK and that "now is the time to finish the job". BBC NewsN “"Smoking has fallen enormously over recent decades, but it remains the biggest driver of preventable death in the UK. Now is the time to finish the job."” Read at BBC News ↗ The GuardianLC “This is really encouraging progress and shows what can be achieved through sustained action to reduce smoking.” Read at The Guardian ↗ Left · 1Justin Webb, an associate professor at London Metropolitan University, told the Guardian it was "somewhat concerning" that 1.1 million never-smokers vape. He said vapes can help adults quit but are not risk-free, and that protection against uptake among children and non-smokers needs strengthening. The GuardianLC “We need to preserve their value as a quitting aid while strengthening protection against uptake among children and non-smokers.”“Vapes can help adults stop smoking, but they are not risk-free” Read at The Guardian ↗
Centre · 1The BBC notes the NHS says vaping is less harmful than smoking, although long-term effects are not yet clear. It adds that new UK legislation due in the new year will permanently ban the sale of tobacco to anyone born on or after 1 January 2009. BBC NewsN “Vaping is less harmful than smoking, although the long-term effects are not yet clear, says the NHS.”“will permanently ban the legal sale of tobacco to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009 to create a "smoke-free" generation.” Read at BBC News ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- Leads on the sharp rise in vaping among people who never smoked, with an expert calling it concerning.
- Emphasis
- The near-doubling since 2021, the 2.9% share of never-smokers vaping, the Lancet estimate and the call to protect children and non-smokers.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention the NHS view that vaping is less harmful than smoking, or the planned generational tobacco ban.
- Charged language
- “concerning”
- For example
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“according to figures that health experts describe as concerning.” — The Guardian
“The proportion of never-smokers now vaping has increased sharply, almost doubling, since 2021” — The Guardian
Centre1 outlet
- Framing
- Reports the milestone as part of a mixed picture: more vapers than smokers and smoking continuing to fall.
- Emphasis
- The falling number of smokers, ASH's encouraging reading, the NHS view on relative harm and the upcoming smoke-free generation law.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Gives no expert concern about never-smokers vaping, no 2021 comparison and no Lancet estimate.
- Charged language
- “smoke-free”
Right0 outlets
No right outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
What every side reports
- ONS data for 2025 show more than a million never-smokers vape, up from about 940,000 in 2024.
- More over-16s vape than smoke, for the second year running.
- People aged 25-34 are now the most likely to vape (16.4%), overtaking 16-24-year-olds.
- About 4.9 million people smoke, fewer than one in 10 adults.
- Hazel Cheeseman of Action on Smoking and Health welcomed the progress on smoking.
Where accounts differ
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How to read the rise in never-smoker vaping
- Left
- The Guardian calls the figures ones that "health experts describe as concerning" and says the share of never-smokers vaping has almost doubled since 2021.
- Centre
- The BBC leads on the milestone alongside falling smoking and more vapers than smokers, and gives no expert concern about never-smokers.
Vaping regulation topic
The coverage links the data to vaping policy. Experts and campaigners want vapes kept as a quitting aid while limiting uptake among children and non-smokers, and the BBC notes a coming ban on tobacco sales to those born from 2009.
“We need to preserve their value as a quitting aid while strengthening protection against uptake among children and non-smokers.” — The Guardian
“New legislation in the UK, external, taking affect in the new year” — BBC News
Left1 article
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Proportion of people in Great Britain vaping who never smoked doubles in four years
Mixed Data report that foregrounds the rise in never-smoker vaping and an expert's concern, while also noting record-low smoking.
Centre1 article
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One million UK adults who have never smoked are now vaping
Neutral Straightforward data report that balances the vaping milestone against falling smoking rates and the NHS view on harm.
Right0 articles
No coverage yet.
- 6 Oct 11:09 First BBC NewsN One million UK adults who have never smoked are now vaping
- 6 Oct 16:05 +4h 56m The GuardianLC Proportion of people in Great Britain vaping who never smoked doubles in four years
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.