Vaping In England: Fact & Figure
The UK Government set out its ambition for England to be smoke free by 2030.
Smoking prevalence among adults in England continues to fall and was between 13.8% and 16.0%, equating to about 6 to 7 million smokers.
Vaping prevalence was lower than smoking prevalence across all groups and continues to be around 6%, equating to about 2.7 million adult vapers in England.
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If all the smokers in Britain stopped smoking cigarettes and started smoking e-cigarettes we would save 5 million deaths in people who are alive today. It’s a massive potential public health prize.” Professor John Britton, Royal College of Physicians
Smoking remains the largest single risk factor for death and years of life in ill-health and is a leading cause of health inequalities in England and in other parts of the world.
Alternative nicotine delivery devices, such as nicotine vaping products, could play a crucial role in reducing the enormous health burden caused by cigarettes.
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Numbers of vapers in Great Britain (2012-2021)
2012 – 0.7 – (Number of vapers (millions) – 1.7% (% of population current vapers)
2013 – 1.3 – (Number of vapers (millions) – 2.7% (% of population current vapers)
2014 – 2.1 – (Number of vapers (millions) – 4.2% (% of population current vapers)
2015 – 2.6 – (Number of vapers (millions) – 5.4% (% of population current vapers)
2016 – 2.8 – (Number of vapers (millions) – 5.7% (% of population current vapers)
2017 – 2.9 – (Number of vapers (millions) – 5.8% (% of population current vapers)
2018 – 3.2 – (Number of vapers (millions) – 6.2% (% of population current vapers)
2019 – 3.6 – (Number of vapers (millions) – 7.1% (% of population current vapers)
2020 – 3.2 – (Number of vapers (millions) – 6.2% (% of population current vapers)
2021 – 3.6 – (Number of vapers (millions) – 7.1% (% of population current vapers)
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Current E-Cigarette use by adult ex-cigarette smokers, GB (2021)
2017 – 32.0% (Less than 1 year) – 50.0% (Between 1-3 years – 18.0% (Over 3 years)
2018 – 27.8% (Less than 1 year) – 42.5% (Between 1-3 years – 29.4% (Over 3 years)
2019 – 21.6% (Less than 1 year) – 39.5% (Between 1-3 years – 38.9% (Over 3 years)
2020 – 17.0% (Less than 1 year) – 36.6% (Between 1-3 years – 45.9% (Over 3 years)
2021 – 12.7% (Less than 1 year) – 33.0% (Between 1-3 years – 53.8% (Over 3 years)
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Most common reasons for vaping, reported in ASH adult survey, GB (2021)
29.7% - Quit
19.4% - Stay Off
11.2% - Reduce
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Current E-Cigarette satisfaction levels from e-cigarettes compared with smoking, GB (2021)
Ex e-cigarette user & current smoker
5% - More Satisfying
7% - Equally Satisfying
79% - Less Satisfying
9% - Don’t Know/Not Applicable
Current e-cigarette user & current smoker
15% - More Satisfying
24% - Equally Satisfying
54% - Less Satisfying
7% - Don’t Know/Not Applicable
Current e-cigarette user & ex-smoker
36% - More Satisfying
32% - Equally Satisfying
28% - Less Satisfying
4% - Don’t Know/Not Applicable
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Using a vape product is the most popular aid used by people trying to quit smoking, GB (2021)
Vaping – 27.2%
NRT – 15.5%
Varenicline – 4.4%
Over the counter or on prescription – 2.7%
Vaping is positively associated with quitting smoking successfully. In 2017, over 50,000 smokers stopped smoking with a vaping product who would otherwise have carried on smoking.
Prescription medication and licensing NRT for harm reduction were also positively associated with successfully quitting smoking.
The extensive use of vaping products in quit attempts compared with licensed medication suggests vaping products may reach more people who smoke.
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Misperceptions of harm caused by vaping STS survey, GB (2021)
29% of current smokers believed vaping was less harmful than smoking.
38% believed vaping was as harmful as smoking.
18% did not know whether vaping or smoking was more harmful.
5% of smokers believed vaping was more harmful than smoking.
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Most popular flavours amongst vapers, GB (2021)
Fruit - 31.6%
Tobacco - 25.2%
Menthol/Mint - 20%
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Will an e-cigarette help me stop smoking?
The NHS says…
“Many thousands of people in the UK have already stopped smoking with the help of an e-cigarette. There’s growing evidence that they can be effective.
Using an e-cigarette can help you manage your nicotine cravings.
To get the best out of it, make sure you’re using as much as you need to and with the right strength of nicotine in your e-liquid.”
How safe are e-cigarettes?
The NHS says…
“In the UK, e-cigarettes are tightly regulated for safety and quality.
They’re not completely risk free, but they carry a small fraction of the risk of cigarettes.
E-cigarettes do not produce tar or carbon monoxide, two of the most harmful elements in tobacco smoke.”
What about risks from nicotine?
The NHS says…
“While nicotine is the addictive substance in cigarettes, it’s relatively harmless.
Almost all of the harm from smoking comes from the thousands of other chemicals in tobacco smoke, many of which are toxic.
Nicotine replacement therapy has been widely used for many years to help people stop smoking and is safe treatment.”
Is e-cigarette vapour harmful to others?
The NHS says…
There’s no evidence so far that vaping causes harm to other people around you.
This is in contrast to second-hand smoke from smoking, which is known to be very harmful to health.”
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Vaping in England: Conclusions
The Vaping in England report is a lengthy and sometimes complex document. It explores numerous aspects of vaping, some of which we will look at in future articles. But the most important elements of the report are surely those concerning the safety of vaping and its impact on quitting smoking.
Public Health England remains convinced that vaping is far safer than smoking. The ASH survey confirms that many smokers have managed to quit thanks to vaping.
The principle concern expressed in the report is not the safety of vaping but the fact that the number of smokers turning to vaping has plateaued. This is very likely to be the result of mistaken beliefs about the safety of vaping.
Remember, all available evidence in the UK suggests that smoking will probably kill you, vaping probably won’t.
