Smoking prevalence in the 18 to 24-year-old age group has dropped from 25.7% in 2011 to just 9.8% in 2023, according to recent data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
The data suggests that over 4.3 million adults in the UK are current vapers. Among these, the vast majority are either current or former smokers using vapes to remain smoke-free.
Only about 121,000 people (2.8% of vapers) have never smoked, “reinforcing that vaping is largely being used as a harm reduction tool for smokers, rather than attracting non-smokers,” Online vape shop Evapo explained.
Andrej Kuttruf chief executive of Evapo weighed in on the findings: “The official ONS statistics show that vaping, which the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities has said is 95% less harmful than smoking, has been a main contributor to the more than halving of youth smoking, while also helping nearly a fifth of former smokers quit smoking.
We support the government’s recent decision to ‘actively consider’ a common-sense, self-supporting vaping licensing scheme, which we believe will help smokers quit, support the NHS, stop the criminals, and protect the children from potentially illegal and harmful vaping products.”
Evapo said while public health advocates push for a smoke-free generation, the reality is that vaping has played a crucial role in pushing smoking rates to record lows.
“Although the ideal scenario would be for young adults to avoid nicotine entirely, experts argue that the switch to vaping, particularly among current and former smokers, is a significant step toward harm reduction,” it added.
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