The UK smoking rate has dropped below 10% for the first time on record, driven by adult smokers switching to reduced-risk alternatives, according to 2025 Office for National Statistics (ONS) data. However, industry leaders warn that recent tax hikes and regulatory tightening threaten to reverse these public health gains.
ONS Data Confirms Shift from Smoking to Vaping
ONS figures show that approximately 4.9 million adults aged 18 and older (9.8% of the population) smoked cigarettes in 2025. This marks a decrease from 10.6% in 2024 and represents a 10.4 percentage point decline since the data series began in 2011.
Concurrently, adult vaping remained stable at 5.4 million users aged 16 and older (9.9% of the population) in Great Britain. For the second consecutive year, regular e-cigarette users outnumbered combustible cigarette smokers.
| Year | Cigarette Smokers (%) | E-Cigarette Users (%) |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 20.2% | Data not tracked |
| 2020 | 14.0% | 6.4% |
| 2024 | 10.6% | 10.0% |
| 2025 | 9.8% | 9.9% |
Vaping Duty Threatens Harm Reduction Progress
The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) welcomed the record-low smoking figures but warned that the government's regulatory trajectory could disrupt cessation progress. The primary concern centers on the newly implemented Vaping Products Duty, which raises retail prices on some products by as much as 264%.
UKVIA Director General John Dunne highlighted the risk of unintended consequences:
"At the same time that vaping is helping millions of adults move away from or stay off cigarettes, a growing list of policies and proposals risk making vapes harder to choose and less accessible for the very people who rely on them. Not least the new Vaping Products Duty, which came into force this month and will see the cost of vaping products increase by as much as 264%."
A UKVIA survey of nearly 3,500 adult vapers found that 50% feared the duty would drive them back to smoking or toward unregulated black-market goods. In addition, an analysis by the Centre for Economics and Business Research estimated that the price hikes could prompt 946,000 vapers and dual users to return exclusively to smoking, creating £306.6 million in extra healthcare and economic costs.
The UKVIA is calling on the government to adopt a balanced approach that penalizes illicit retailers and protects minors without restricting adult access to regulated cessation products.
