LONDON, Nov. 4 (Xinhua) -- The number of adults in Britain using e-cigarettes, or vapes, has for the first time overtaken cigarette smokers, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported Tuesday, marking a significant shift in the country's smoking habits but also raising new public health concerns.
According to ONS data, 10 percent of adults in Great Britain, around 5.4 million people, reported using e-cigarettes daily or occasionally in 2024, compared with 9.1 percent (4.9 million) who smoked cigarettes. This is the lowest proportion of smokers since records began in 2011, highlighting the continuing decline of tobacco use across the country.
The survey showed that smoking was most prevalent among adults aged 25 to 34 (12.6 percent), while those aged 65 and above had the lowest rate at 7.1 percent. The largest decline since 2011 was seen in the 18 to 24 age group, where smoking fell from 25.7 percent to just 8.1 percent.
However, the pattern of vaping is more complex. ONS found that e-cigarette use among men fell slightly in 2024 compared with the previous year, 10.1 percent down from 11.0 percent, while among women it rose sharply to 10.0 percent from 8.5 percent. Use of e-cigarettes "daily or occasionally" remained highest among 16 to 24 year olds at 13 percent, though that figure was down from 15.8 percent in 2023.
David Mais, head of health analysis at ONS, said: "For the first time, the number of users of e-cigarettes or vapes has overtaken the number of smokers. Among adults aged 16 and over, 10 percent said they were e-cigarette users compared with 9.1 percent who smoked cigarettes. This reflects the long-term trend of fewer people smoking over the past decade."
Public health experts, however, warn that the rapid rise in vaping is not without risks. Professor John Ashton, a leading public health specialist who has worked with the World Health Organization, told Xinhua that while the decline in smoking is encouraging, the new trend poses fresh challenges.
"Over 30 years ago, more than 30 percent of British adults smoked," Ashton said. "Most of the reduction happened before vapes became widely available. By the time vapes came along 10 or more years ago, smoking rates had already fallen to about 20 percent. Now they're around 10 percent. The argument that vapes are essential in helping people quit is becoming less convincing because we're down to the hard core of smokers who continue despite vaping."
Ashton cautioned that the data do not reveal how many people are both smoking and vaping. "A lot of people are vaping, but they haven't stopped smoking," he said. "Those of us who've been worried about vapes from the beginning are still worried that we may be replacing one problem with another that we don't fully understand, because we still don't know the long-term consequences of vaping."
He also questioned early claims that e-cigarettes are "95 percent safer" than traditional cigarettes. "That was an irresponsible claim," Ashton said. "We've had 200 years of experience with tobacco smoking and only just over a decade with vaping. If you draw anything other than fresh air into your lungs, it's likely to cause problems."
A major cause for concern, Ashton added, is the growing number of teenagers, and even children, taking up vaping. "People who are enthusiastic proponents of vaping seem prepared to overlook what's happening among young people," he said.
While Britain's anti-smoking drive has been hailed as one of the most successful in the developed world, experts warn that the rise of vaping, especially among the young, may create new public health challenges that require urgent regulation and research. Enditem
京公网安备 11010802027341号