The Office for National Statistics (ONS) confirmed that the UK smoking rate dropped below 10% for the first time in 2025. Approximately 4.9 million adults aged 18 and over (9.8%) smoked cigarettes last year, down from 10.6% in 2024, as consumer transitions and tobacco control policies continue to lower smoking rates.
Vaping Overtakes Smoking Amid Regional Disparities
For the second consecutive year, the number of people using vapes (5.4 million; 9.9%) exceeded the smoking population. Vaping prevalence remained stable relative to 2024 levels (5.4 million; 10%).
Despite the national decline, ONS data highlights stark geographic disparities across the UK:
- Scotland: 11.4% smoking rate
- Wales: 11.1% smoking rate
- Northern Ireland: 9.9% smoking rate
- England: 9.5% smoking rate
At the local authority level, Fenland (18.7%) and Kingston upon Hull (18.5%) reported the highest smoking rates, while Epsom and Ewell (4.3%) and Woking (4.5%) recorded the lowest. Demographically, adults aged 45 to 54 were most likely to smoke (12.4%), compared to 7.2% among individuals aged 18 to 24. Rates were highest among the unemployed (16.5%) and people with no formal qualifications (24.8%).
Phased Tobacco Bans and Public Health Reactions
The UK government is preparing to enforce two legislative deadlines to curb nicotine access:
- October 29, 2026: It becomes an offence to sell any vaping or nicotine product – including zero-nicotine devices and nicotine pouches – to anyone under 18.
- January 1, 2027: Selling tobacco to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, becomes illegal.
Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), welcomed the data while noting that the previous government target of reducing smoking to 5% by 2030 remains unlikely:
“This is really encouraging progress and shows what can be achieved through sustained action to reduce smoking… Today’s data also shows that inequalities between areas persist, despite the progress made. 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.”
Kruti Shrotri, prevention policy lead at Cancer Research UK, added that while legal vapes remain an effective cessation tool, tobacco continues to be the leading cause of cancer in the UK, requiring targeted cessation support for remaining smokers.
Industry Response to New Tax Policies
The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) warned that recent tax measures could disrupt smoking cessation efforts. John Dunne, Director General of the UKVIA, raised concerns regarding the newly introduced Vaping Products Duty, which increases product costs by up to 264%.
Dunne stated:
“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.”
Dunne cited an industry survey showing that 50% of adult vapers feared the tax hike would push them back to smoking or the illicit market. Economic modeling by the Centre for Economics and Business Research estimated that 946,000 vapers could return to combustible tobacco, creating £306.6 million in additional healthcare and productivity costs.
