Vaping overtakes smoking in Britain for the first time, in landmark moment for tobacco harm reduction

Vaping has surpassed smoking in Great Britain for the first time since records began in 1974, in a historic crossover that international health experts say vindicates the harm reduction approach pioneered by Sweden.

New data analysed in a commentary by the Centre of Excellence for the Acceleration of Harm Reduction (CoEHAR), published in the International Journal of Public Health, shows that 10.0 per cent of British adults now use vapes, compared with 9.1 per cent who smoke. In absolute terms, around 5.4 million people now vape, against 4.9 million who still smoke. The CoEHAR authors describe the crossover as a “notable milestone in tobacco control”.

Smoking prevalence in Britain has roughly halved over little more than a decade, falling from 20.2 per cent in 2011 to 10.6 per cent in 2024. Crucially, the figures point to substitution rather than fresh nicotine uptake: around 55 per cent of vapers are former smokers, 40 per cent still smoke alongside vaping, and only about 5 per cent have never smoked.

Dr Delon Human, leader of Smoke Free Sweden and a former secretary-general of the World Medical Association, said the British figures should settle the policy argument across Europe.

“This is the moment the theory becomes reality at population level,” said Dr Human. “Britain has shown that when adult smokers are given access to safer alternatives that are accessible, affordable and acceptable, they will move away from combustible tobacco in their millions. Sweden proved it first. The UK has now confirmed it on a vast scale.”

The CoEHAR commentary highlights reductions of 90 per cent or more in biomarkers of exposure to tobacco-specific carcinogens among smokers who switch completely to vaping, with levels approaching those seen in non-users. The authors also caution against alarmist readings of dual use, noting that it often represents a transitional stage on the path to quitting cigarettes altogether rather than a fixed end point.

Dr Human said the timing of the British data should weigh heavily on Brussels as the European Commission moves through its revision of the Tobacco Products Directive.

“While the European Commission continues to muddy the waters on safer nicotine products, the evidence from Britain and Sweden is becoming impossible to ignore,” he said. “The two European countries that have most enthusiastically embraced harm reduction are the two countries leading Europe out of the smoking era. Policymakers who keep treating vapes, snus and nicotine pouches as if they were as dangerous as cigarettes are choosing ideology over lives.”

Sweden remains the standard-bearer for the approach. With adult smoking now below 5 per cent, Sweden has become the first officially smoke-free country in Europe, recording 54 per cent fewer smokers since 2012 and 61 per cent lower lung cancer deaths in men compared with the EU average.

“Britain and Sweden are writing the playbook for the rest of Europe,” Dr Human added. “The lesson is straightforward. Trust adult smokers with the truth, give them better options, and the smoking rate will fall. Refuse to do so, and the cigarette will keep doing what it has always done.”