ONS Data Shows British Women Aged 25–34 Lead Vaping Rates
New ONS figures for 2025 show that 18.3% of women aged 25–34 in Great Britain reported using e-cigarettes, compared with 14.4% of men in the same age group. The report, Adult Smoking Habits in the UK: 2025, indicates that overall adult vaping prevalence was broadly stable, but the 25–34 age group overtook 16–24-year-olds as the highest-vaping adult cohort. The data are survey estimates of reported behavior, not sales or revenue figures, and the ONS does not explain why the patterns changed.
The ONS report Adult Smoking Habits in the UK: 2025, released on 6 October 2026, found that women aged 25–34 had the highest estimated vaping rate at 18.3%, while men in that age band stood at 14.4%. For this female group, the estimate has risen steadily: 5.4% in 2014, 8.3% in 2020, 10.4% in 2023, 13.7% in 2024, then 18.3% in 2025.
Nationally, about 5.4 million people aged 16 and over reported daily or occasional e-cigarette use, or 9.9% of adults, little changed from 10.0% a year earlier. The 25–34 cohort overall reached 16.4%, overtaking 16–24-year-olds at 12.9%. These are survey-based estimates of reported behaviour, not sales or revenue data.
The shift may affect how public health campaigns and cessation services target women in their late twenties and early thirties, a group often balancing work and caregiving. Retailers and employers could also see changing norms around vaping in workplaces and social settings. Because the ONS data are survey estimates and do not explain causes, any societal impact remains uncertain and should be interpreted cautiously.