UKVIA welcomes progress on cutting UK smoking levels
THE UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) has called on the UK Government to change its approach to the vaping category following a drop in UK smoking rates.
According to new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), around 4.9million people aged 18 years and over smoked cigarettes in the UK in 2025. This marks around 9.8% of the total UK population, but was also decrease from 2024 when the number stood at 10.6%.
The ONS has said this follows a long-term downward trend for smoking rates across the UK and has fallen by a total of 10.4% since the data series began in 2011.
The data also found that around 5.4million adults aged 16 and over (around 9.9% of the population) used an e-cigarette daily or occasionally in 2025. These numbers remained on the whole fairly similar to 2024 when the research found that 10% of the population used the devices.
In light of this new data, UKVIA has warned that current Government plans could stifle the progress that has been made to cut smoking rates in the UK and could push shoppers to return to traditional smoking options should these plans come to fruition.
John Dunne, director general at the UKVIA, said: “The latest ONS figures show just how far Britain has come in tackling smoking, with rates once again at a record low and vaping playing an undeniable role in driving that progress – which makes the Government’s current approach to vaping all the more baffling.
“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%.
“Our survey of almost 3,500 adult vapers showed 50% feared the duty could send them back to smoking or to the black market, while analysis from the Centre for Economics and Business Research estimates it could see 946,000 vapers and dual users switch exclusively to smoking and create £306.6m in additional healthcare and productivity costs.
“No young person or never-smoker should be using vaping products, and the industry backs meaningful action against illegal sellers, but that should not come at the expense of adult smokers, vapers and the legitimate sector supporting their smoke-free journeys.
“That’s why we’re calling on Government to commit to a Fair Deal for Vaping, one which protects young people, cracks down on rogue retailers and preserves the public health power of vaping – including a proportionate approach on packaging, advertising and display, protecting vital flavours and an urgent review of the VPD rate.
“This should be a moment to celebrate Britain’s progress on smoking. Instead, we are having to fight to protect one of the tools that has been instrumental in helping make that progress possible.”
