2nd October 2024
The UK Vaping Industry Association welcomes the latest official data which shows that just 11.9% of the UK population now smokes, the lowest level since records began.
The most dramatic fall is in the 18-24 age group where smoking has plummeted from 25.7% in 2011 to just 9.8% in 2023.
When the ONS last reported on smoking rates in December 2022, it said that vaping had played a ‘major role’ in the decline.
And with the latest data showing that vaping rates are highest in the age group where smoking is declining fastest, there is clear evidence that vaping continues to help smokers quit.
However, with the ONS revealing that there are still six million smokers in the UK, there is much more work to be done to allow vaping to meet its full potential to help the government achieve its smoke free ambitions. Vaping, which is proven to be the most effective quitting tool available, has risen in usage with 5.1 million adults vaping in Great Britain, either daily or occasionally. There are also more people quitting cigarettes in 2023; 70.9% said they had successfully quit, compared to 69.4% in 2022.
Commenting on the new figures, John Dunne, Director General of the UKVIA, said, “It is beyond doubt that vaping has proven to be the best way to help adult smokers quit but we have a lot more work to do to reach the 5.1 million who continue to use cigarettes.
“Data like this shows that the UK can become smoke free and the UKVIA is willing to give the government all the help and assistance it needs to make this happen. With the amount of changes we are seeing to vaping regulation at the moment, it is vital that any new legislation supports adult smokers quit while protecting young people and the environment.
“The government are understandably worried about youth vaping, but restricting adult use of vapes and vape flavours will lead to more smokers and more deaths. They need to focus on the rogue retailers who are selling vapes to children and create a licensing scheme for distributors and retailers that will equip trading standards with the resources to police them effectively”.
Read the full report here