New data shows 3.3 million ex-smokers used vapes to quit, but youth regulation still urgently needed, says charity

New data from Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) shows daily vaping among adults has overtaken daily smoking in Britain for the first time, with 3.3 million vape users saying they are ex-smokers. At the same time over a million 11-17 year olds say they have tried vaping. The data highlights both the success of vaping as a quit aid and the urgent need to reduce youth uptake.

ASH is calling on the government to proceed swiftly to regulate the promotion of vapes to children, now it has powers under the Tobacco and Vapes Act but cautions that regulation must be proportionate and should not dissuade people who smoke from using them as a cessation tool. 

The data reveals that an estimated 5.5 million adults (10%) currently vape. At the same time, the proportion of adults who smoke every day has fallen to 6.6%, down from 9.7% in 2020, while daily vaping has risen from 4.5% to 7.8% over the same period. This crossover marks a momentous shift in how Britons consume nicotine; the result of smokers switching to vaping as a less harmful alternative or quit aid.

The findings highlight the critical role vaping has played in helping people stop smoking. An estimated 3.3 million people, around 60% of current vapers, are ex-smokers, while 32% are dual users of tobacco and vapes and 8% have never smoked. Among those who gave up smoking in the last five years, more than half (58%) say they used a vape to quit, representing approximately 2.5 million successful quitters. 

Importantly, vaping is not a permanent replacement for smoking for the majority of those who use it to quit. Nearly a third (32%) of ex-smokers who used vaping to quit smoking in the past 5 years report that they have now stopped vaping as well.

However, while vaping continues to play an important role in helping adults to stop smoking, despite high levels of harm misperceptions, ASH warns that use among under 18s continues to be too high with around 1.1 million 11–17-year-olds having tried vaping (19%) and 370,000 (6%) currently vaping. The proportion of under 18s trying and continuing to vape has not grown in the last year but further government regulations are needed to ensure it falls. 

While youth vaping has not increased in the last year, exposure to vape marketing remains widespread. Three-quarters (75%) of young people report seeing vape promotion, most commonly in shops (50%) and online (29%), particularly on social media platforms including TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.

ASH is calling on the Government to move quickly to implement measures under the Tobacco and Vapes Act to reduce the visibility and appeal of vapes to children, while ensuring they remain an effective and accessible tool for adults who smoke and want to quit.

Hazel Cheeseman, Chief Executive at ASH, said

"This data shows both the promise and the challenge of vaping. Millions of adults have used vapes to quit smoking, with an estimated 3.3 million ex-smokers now vaping instead of smoking and many going on to stop vaping altogether. That is a major public health success which should not be undermined.

"At the same time, it remains unacceptable that so many children are experimenting with vapes. The fact that around 1.1 million under-18s have tried vaping shows why the Government must act quickly to restrict the promotion and marketing of these products to young people.

"The task now is to get the balance right: make vaping less visible and less appealing to children while ensuring it remains an effective and accessible quitting aid for adults who smoke. If we get that balance wrong, we risk slowing progress on reducing smoking, which remains the leading cause of preventable death."

ENDS.

Contact: press@ash.org.uk

Notes to editors

• ASH adult survey conducted by YouGov. Total sample size was 13,259 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 18/02/2026 - 19/03/2026. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).
• ASH youth survey conducted by YouGov. Total sample size was 2,926 11-17 year olds. Fieldwork was undertaken between 03/04/2026 - 06/05/2026. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB youth aged 11-17.
• Population counts use the proportions in the survey applied to adults or 11-17 year olds from the ONS Estimates of the population for the UK, England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland mid-2024 dataset.