And the number of smokers is …

The Office for National Statistics has published the latest (estimated) figures for the number of people who smoke and vape in the UK.

According to the ONS, the proportion of the adult population in the UK who smoke cigarettes fell from 11.9 per cent (six million) in 2023, to 10.6 per cent (5.3 million) in 2024.

This is a record low, and quite a significant drop, but more interesting, perhaps, is the fact that there are said to be around 5.4 million vapers aged 16 and over, hence the headline, ‘Number of vapers overtakes smokers for the first time’. You can see why the figures might be spun like this because it’s a more interesting story, but it’s arguably a bit misleading when a significant numbers of vapers are dual users (ie they smoke and vape).

Another thing that struck me is the ONS claim that ‘Around 5.1 million adults aged 16 years and over (9.8%) currently use an e-cigarette daily or occasionally in Great Britain in 2023’. Are 16- and 17-year-olds now considered to be adults? I think we should be told.

Anyay, I’ll come back to the ONS report later, when I’ve had a chance to read it in full. In the meantime, here is Forest’s response which will probably be lost, given the media’s focus on vapers allegedly outnumbering smokers for the first time:

Responding to latest ONS figures on adult smoking habits, which show that the proportion of the adult population in the UK who smoke cigarettes fell to 10.6 per cent (5.3 million) in 2024, Simon Clark, director of the smokers’ rights group Forest, said:

“Smoking rates have been falling for decades, largely because people have been educated about the health risks.

“More recently, products such as vapes and nicotine pouches have provided reduced risk alternatives to cigarettes, encouraging millions of smokers to switch and quit voluntarily.

“In contrast, there is no evidence that anti-smoking measures such as smoking bans, plain packaging, or the ban on menthol cigarettes have been significant factors in reducing smoking rates.”

Warning the government not to raise the age of sale of tobacco to drive smoking rates lower, Clark added:

“A generational ban on the sale of tobacco could stall or even reverse the long-term decline in smoking rates.

“Far from achieving the government’s ambition of a smoke-free Britain, prohibiting the sale of tobacco to future generations of adults will fuel the black market and could encourage more people to smoke as a form of soft rebellion.

“People are fed up of government dictating how they live their lives, and further intervention could do more harm than good.”

You can read ASH’s response here.