{"id":51374,"date":"2025-11-10T17:13:49","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T09:13:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.abesmoke.com\/?p=51374"},"modified":"2025-11-10T17:13:49","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T09:13:49","slug":"5-4-million-vs-4-9-million-for-the-first-time-e-cigarette-users-in-the-uk-have-surpassed-smokers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.abesmoke.com\/en\/a\/51374","title":{"rendered":"5.4 million vs. 4.9 million! For the first time, e-cigarette users in the UK have surpassed smokers."},"content":{"rendered":"<p data-pm-slice=\"0 0 []\"><span dir=\"auto\"><span class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">According to the latest data from the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) in 2024,\u00a0<\/span><span data-pm-slice=\"1 1 [&quot;para&quot;,{&quot;tagName&quot;:&quot;p&quot;,&quot;attributes&quot;:{&quot;style&quot;:&quot;background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: \\&quot;Austin News\\&quot;, georgia, times, serif; font-size: 19px; font-variation-settings: \\&quot;wght\\&quot; 300, \\&quot;opsz\\&quot; 9; line-height: 27px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;&quot;},&quot;namespaceURI&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xhtml&quot;},&quot;node&quot;,{&quot;tagName&quot;:&quot;font&quot;,&quot;attributes&quot;:{&quot;dir&quot;:&quot;auto&quot;,&quot;style&quot;:&quot;background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: inherit; vertical-align: inherit;&quot;},&quot;namespaceURI&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xhtml&quot;},&quot;node&quot;,{&quot;tagName&quot;:&quot;font&quot;,&quot;attributes&quot;:{&quot;dir&quot;:&quot;auto&quot;,&quot;style&quot;:&quot;background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: inherit; vertical-align: inherit;&quot;},&quot;namespaceURI&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xhtml&quot;},&quot;node&quot;,{&quot;tagName&quot;:&quot;font&quot;,&quot;attributes&quot;:{&quot;dir&quot;:&quot;auto&quot;,&quot;style&quot;:&quot;background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: inherit; vertical-align: inherit;&quot;},&quot;namespaceURI&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xhtml&quot;},&quot;node&quot;,{&quot;tagName&quot;:&quot;font&quot;,&quot;attributes&quot;:{&quot;dir&quot;:&quot;auto&quot;,&quot;style&quot;:&quot;background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: inherit; vertical-align: inherit;&quot;},&quot;namespaceURI&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xhtml&quot;}]\"><span class=\"\" dir=\"auto\">for the first time, the number of regular e-cigarette users among people aged 16 and over in the country has surpassed that of traditional smokers \u2013 5.4 million e-cigarette users compared to 4.9 million smokers.<\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<p data-pm-slice=\"0 0 []\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-51373\" src=\"https:\/\/www.abesmoke.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/673db7e4bbd915b2088e4c990abda14d.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1055\" height=\"709\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.abesmoke.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/673db7e4bbd915b2088e4c990abda14d.png 1055w, https:\/\/www.abesmoke.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/673db7e4bbd915b2088e4c990abda14d-300x202.png 300w, https:\/\/www.abesmoke.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/673db7e4bbd915b2088e4c990abda14d-1024x688.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.abesmoke.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/673db7e4bbd915b2088e4c990abda14d-768x516.png 768w, https:\/\/www.abesmoke.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/673db7e4bbd915b2088e4c990abda14d-18x12.png 18w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1055px) 100vw, 1055px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2 data-pm-slice=\"0 0 []\"><span dir=\"auto\">I. Key Data: 10% vs. 9.1%, e-cigarettes overtake e-cigarettes for the first time.<\/span><\/h2>\n<ul class=\"list-paddingleft-1\">\n<li><strong><span dir=\"auto\">e-cigarette users<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<section><span dir=\"auto\">The usage rate among people aged 16 and above reached 10%, corresponding to approximately 5.4 million people, covering the \"daily or occasional user\" group;<\/span><\/section>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong><span dir=\"auto\">Traditional smokers<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<section><span dir=\"auto\">Usage has dropped to 9.1%, corresponding to approximately 4.9 million people, a significant decline compared to ten years ago;<\/span><\/section>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<section><span dir=\"auto\">ONS official David Mais stated clearly: \"This is the first time we have observed that the number of e-cigarette users exceeds the number of smokers, which is in line with the long-term trend of a continuous decline in smoking rates over the past decade.\"<\/span><\/section>\n<h2><span dir=\"auto\">II. User demographics: Increased usage among women, with young people becoming the main users of e-cigarettes.<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">The data also reveals differences in usage among different groups, with particularly noticeable changes in gender and age dimensions:<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span dir=\"auto\">1. Gender gap narrows: E-cigarette use among women rises to 10%.<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">In 2024, the usage rate of e-cigarettes among men decreased slightly from 11% in 2023 to 10.1%, while the usage rate among women increased from 8.5% to 10%, further converging the usage ratio between genders and breaking the previous pattern of men dominating the e-cigarette market.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span dir=\"auto\">2. Clear age segmentation: Young people love e-cigarettes, with the highest smoking rate among those aged 25-34.<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul class=\"list-paddingleft-1\">\n<li><strong><span dir=\"auto\">Frequent users of e-cigarettes<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<section><span dir=\"auto\">The 16-24 age group had the highest rate of \"daily or occasional use\", reaching 13% (about 1 in 8 people), making them the group with the highest acceptance of e-cigarettes among all age groups;<\/span><\/section>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong><span dir=\"auto\">Peak smoking group<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<section><span dir=\"auto\">The smoking rate remains highest among people aged 25-34, at 12.6%; the smoking rate is lowest among people aged 65 and above, at only 7.1%.<\/span><\/section>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong><span dir=\"auto\">Largest decline in ten years<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<section><span dir=\"auto\">The smoking rate among young people aged 18-24 has changed most significantly, dropping from \"more than a quarter\" in 2011 to \"less than one-tenth\" in 2024, a decrease of more than 60%, making them the core beneficiary group of tobacco control policies.<\/span><\/section>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 data-pm-slice=\"0 0 []\"><span dir=\"auto\">III. Government Actions: Advancing the Tobacco and E-cigarette Act, Enforcing Strict Regulation from Multiple Dimensions<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">To balance \"tobacco control and harm reduction\" with \"risk prevention and control,\" the UK government is accelerating the implementation of the Tobacco and E-cigarette Bill, with several measures directly addressing core issues:<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span dir=\"auto\">1.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><span dir=\"auto\">Those born in 2009 or later are prohibited from purchasing tobacco products;<\/span><\/h3>\n<h3><span dir=\"auto\">2. Restrict flavor, packaging, and marketing;<\/span><\/h3>\n<h3><span dir=\"auto\">3.\u00a0<\/span><span data-pm-slice=\"1 1 [&quot;para&quot;,{&quot;tagName&quot;:&quot;h3&quot;,&quot;attributes&quot;:{&quot;class&quot;:&quot;header-iWP5WJ auto-hide-last-sibling-br&quot;,&quot;style&quot;:&quot;outline: none; -webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); border: 0px solid; margin-top: var(--md-box-h3-margin-top); margin-right: var(--md-box-h3-margin-right); margin-bottom: var(--md-box-h3-margin-bottom); margin-left: var(--md-box-h3-margin-left); padding-top: var(--md-box-h3-padding-top); padding-right: var(--md-box-h3-padding-right); padding-bottom: var(--md-box-h3-padding-bottom); padding-left: var(--md-box-h3-padding-left); font-size: var(--md-box-h3-font-size); font-weight: var(--md-box-h3-font-weight); line-height: var(--md-box-h3-line-height); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); overflow-anchor: auto; font-family: Inter, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, \\&quot;Segoe UI\\&quot;, \\&quot;PingFang SC\\&quot;, \\&quot;Hiragino Sans GB\\&quot;, \\&quot;Microsoft YaHei\\&quot;, \\&quot;Helvetica Neue\\&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;&quot;},&quot;namespaceURI&quot;:&quot;http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xhtml&quot;}]\"><span dir=\"auto\">Sales to individuals under the age of 18 are prohibited; retailers who violate this rule will face a \u00a3200 fine.<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3><span dir=\"auto\">4. Products containing \"fruit flavor\" or \"high concentration of nicotine\" are prohibited.<\/span><\/h3>\n<h2 data-pm-slice=\"0 0 []\"><span dir=\"auto\">Conclusion<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">The fact that e-cigarette users have surpassed smokers for the first time is a significant achievement in the UK's tobacco control policies and the widespread adoption of harm reduction products. However, it also brings new challenges such as \"use by non-smokers\" and \"protection of youth.\" Finding a precise balance between \"helping smokers quit\" and \"preventing addiction in healthy individuals\" will be a core issue for nicotine regulation in the UK and globally.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span dir=\"auto\">Source:\u00a0<\/span><span dir=\"auto\">telegraph<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>According to the latest data from the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) in 2024,\u00a0for the first time, the number of regular e-cigarette users among people aged 16 and over in the country &hellip;<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":51372,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abesmoke.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abesmoke.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abesmoke.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abesmoke.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abesmoke.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51374"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.abesmoke.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51374\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abesmoke.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51372"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.abesmoke.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abesmoke.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.abesmoke.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}