For the first time since records began, fewer adults in the UK smoke cigarettes than vape. New data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows smoking rates have dropped to historic lows — while vaping continues to rise as the go-to alternative for millions of adults making the switch.
📉 Smoking Falls to Record Low
According to the ONS report Adult Smoking Habits in the UK: 2024, just 10.6% of UK adults — around 5.3 million people — are now current smokers. That’s the lowest rate since tracking began in 2011 and nearly half of what it was just over a decade ago.
The biggest shift has happened among young adults. Smoking among 18- to 24-year-olds has dropped from 25.7% in 2011 to just 8.1% in 2024 — a dramatic decline that suggests the next generation may be on track to leave cigarettes behind altogether.
💨 Vaping Rises as Smoking Declines
As smoking continues to fall, vaping is filling the gap — and in a good way.
The ONS found that 10% of adults in Great Britain now vape either daily or occasionally, overtaking the number of current smokers (9.1%) for the first time.
The pattern is clear: as vaping goes up, smoking goes down.
People are using nicotine vapes not to start a habit, but to finally end one — and it’s working.
Harm Reduction in Action
The new data reinforces what public-health experts in the UK have said for years: vaping is a far less harmful alternative for adults who smoke.
By eliminating combustion — the part of smoking that produces tar and thousands of toxic chemicals — regulated nicotine vapes provide a cleaner, smoke-free way to manage cravings and reduce harm.
In fact, the proportion of people who have successfully quit smoking continues to rise, now at 74.2%, up from 70.9% just one year earlier.
🌍 A Milestone Moment for Public Health
The UK has become a global leader in tobacco harm reduction, with smoking rates now at record lows and daily vaping among adults at record highs.
Every year, more smokers are switching — not because they’re forced to, but because safer, regulated alternatives like vaping actually work.
The government’s goal of a “smoke-free England” by 2030 (defined as fewer than 5% of adults smoking) is now within sight — and vaping is a big part of that success story.
💬 The Takeaway
The numbers don’t lie:
✅ Smoking in the UK is at its lowest level ever recorded
✅ More adults vape than smoke
✅ Vaping is helping millions move away from tobacco
As the rest of the world watches, the UK’s progress is clear proof that harm reduction saves lives. When adult smokers have access to better alternatives, everyone wins.