UK Government research shows smoking rates continue to decline, with the latest figures revealing a further drop in the number of people who smoke cigarettes.
Drop in cigarette use
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), approximately 4.9 million people aged 18 and over, or 9.8% of the population, smoked cigarettes in the UK in 2025. This figure represents a decrease from 10.6% in 2024. The long-term trend has also seen the proportion of current smokers fall by 10.4 percentage points since 2011, when the rate stood at 20.2%. These figures come from the Annual Population Survey (APS), which provides headline indicators of smoking habits.
Youth smoking has also fallen significantly. The data shows that those aged 18 to 24 experienced the largest reduction in smoking prevalence, dropping from 25.7% in 2011 to 7.2% in 2025. Conversely, the 45 to 54 age group had the highest proportion of current smokers at 12.4%.
Read Also: Retail Trust appoints three new trustees to boost holiday support
Men were more likely to smoke than women, with around 2.8 million men (11.3%) and 2.1 million women (8.2%) reporting current smoking status in 2025.
E-cigarette use rises
E-cigarette use in Great Britain has continued an upward trend. The Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN) found that around 5.4 million adults aged 16 and over used e-cigarettes daily or occasionally in 2025. This equates to 9.9% of the population.
The number of users remains similar to 2024, when 5.4 million people (10%) used e-cigarettes. However, the trend has been increasing since 2020. Notably, 2.9% of those who had never smoked reported using e-cigarettes daily or occasionally in 2025. This figure is up from 2.7% in 2024, corresponding to around 940,000 people.
While the percentage of current e-cigarette users (9.9%) remains higher than current smokers (8.7%), the gap has narrowed slightly. E-cigarette use was most prevalent among people aged 25 to 34 in Great Britain, with 16.4% of this group using the devices.
Read Also: Shoppers Want Transparency for AI in Convenience Stores
Regional and industry reaction
The data includes a regional breakdown showing that Fenland, Blackpool, and Kingston upon Hull had the highest prevalence of current smokers. However, prevalence did fall in these areas between 2019 to 2023 and 2021 to 2025, decreasing by 2.2% points in Fenland, 1.7% in Blackpool, and 0.7% in Kingston upon Hull.
Epsom and Ewell had the lowest prevalence of current smokers at 4.3%, followed by Woking at 4.5%.
John Dunne, director general of the UK Vaping Industry Association, described the figures as a record low. He stated that vaping has played an “undeniable role” in driving progress but warned that new policies are making vapes harder to access. Dunne highlighted the Vaping Products Duty, which came into force this month and could increase the cost of vaping products by up to 264%. He noted that the industry backs action against illegal sellers, but expressed concern that the new duty could force adult vapers back to smoking or the black market. The UKVIA has recently called for a “fair deal” for vaping in a new campaign. Read the full report here.
