Post-Pandemic Smoking Trends in Britain: A Lifestyle Shift in Motion

What the current data tells us about the smoking shift in the UK

As a newsroom rooted in the routines of British towns and cities, we keep a close eye on everyday habits that say something bigger about health, money, and community. 

Since COVID-19, one of the clearest shifts is how people smoke, or rather, how many people no longer do. Official surveys show record lows for cigarette use and a steady rise in vaping. That mix points to a wider lifestyle reset shaped by wellness goals, stress management, and the search for alternatives that fit busy lives. 

With that frame in mind, here is what the numbers show and why it matters on the ground.

What the numbers show after COVID-19

The top line is simple: fewer adults are lighting cigarettes than at any time since the start of consistent records in 2011. The Office for National Statistics reports about 5.3 million adults aged 18 and over smoked in 2024, or 10.6 percent of the population. That figure continues a long downward path. It also hides important detail by age: adults 25 to 34 still hold the highest smoking rate at 12.6 percent, while the biggest long-run drop belongs to 18 to 24 year olds, down to 8.1 percent in 2024 from 25.7 percent in 2011.

These numbers sit alongside growth in vaping. About 5.4 million adults aged 16 and over used an e-cigarette in 2024, either daily or occasionally, overtaking the estimated 4.9 million current smokers. That crossover frames the rest of the story, because it shows substitution is not a talking point, it shows up in counts of real people. And that sets up the next question of what people are choosing instead.

Retail signals: alternatives are now mainstream

Consumer behavior backs what the data hints at: many adults who leave cigarettes still want a nicotine routine that is cheaper, more controllable, and easier to fold into daily life. That is where refillable and regulated systems have expanded in the market. As one retailer told us, this shift is less about novelty and more about practicality.

We asked Go-Liquid, a UK retailer focused on e-cigarettes and vaping, what they are hearing from customers. As a spokesperson put it: “We are seeing more adults move away from combustibles and pick refillable, regulated devices because they want cost control, steady performance, and fewer surprises.” You can learn more about their retail view at Go-Liquid. The retail floor often feels trends before they appear in official charts, which helps explain why the count of vapers now surpasses the count of smokers. That lived experience pairs with the ONS figures that show vaping use running at about 10 percent of adults in Great Britain in 2024.

In other words, store-level choices and national statistics are pointing in the same direction, which leads naturally to the next topic: who is switching and how fast.

Young adults are changing fastest

The standout cohort is 18 to 24 year olds. Their smoking rate dropped by 17.6 percentage points since 2011, landing at 8.1 percent in 2024. That fall is too large to chalk up to a single cause. Price pressure on cigarettes, campus and workplace smoke-free rules, and the rise of alternative nicotine formats all play a part. Social signaling matters too. Few young workers want to smell of smoke on a service shift or during a morning team meeting. The habit is less common in peer groups, which weakens the pull to start in the first place.

At the same time, e-cigarette use remains highest among people aged 16 to 24, at 13.0 percent in 2024, though that is down from 15.8 percent in 2023. The year-to-year move suggests a cohort that experiments, reacts to price and product rules, and shifts between formats. That is why keeping a steady view over several years, not single months, is the right read. With that lens, we next look at the mid-career group that still reports the highest daily vaping rates.

Two peaks in daily use

• Ages 25 to 34: 9.3 percent daily e-cigarette use in 2024.
  
• Ages 35 to 49: 9.5 percent daily e-cigarette use in 2024.
  

Daily users tend to pick refillable kits for cost control and consistency, a pattern retailers report week after week. That points to a link between stable routines and device choice, which sets up a closer look at motivations.

Stress, wellness, and substitution habits

Health goals changed for many people during the pandemic years. Home workouts, sleep tracking, and food budgeting sat next to new stressors. For smokers, the period sharpened a trade-off: pay more for a pack that interrupts your day and breaks indoor rules, or reach for something that fits a commute, a night shift, or time at home. Vaping answered that need for some adults, partly due to lower running costs and the ability to dial nicotine levels.

Men and women are not moving in lockstep. In 2024, men’s reported use of e-cigarettes fell compared with 2023, while women’s use rose from 8.5 percent to 10.0 percent. That split hints at different stress patterns and consumption choices. It is also a reminder that trends are made of people, not averages. As households stitch together budgets and new routines, nicotine choices will reflect those pressures.

The next logical question is how stable those measurements are, which takes us to the limits and strengths of the data itself.

What the data can and cannot tell us

Survey mode matters. During 2020, the APS moved from mostly face to face to telephone-only interviews, a change that coincided with a sharp drop in recorded smoking that officials flagged as implausible. For consistency, the OPN data is often used as a cleaner trend line during that period because it kept a contactless approach from the start. In 2020, based on the OPN, 14.5 percent of adults in Great Britain reported smoking, down from 15.8 percent in 2019. That fall was not statistically significant, but it does line up with a gradual downward pattern visible before and after.

The detail below puts key markers side by side so readers can see the story in one place.

At a glance: selected indicators from official surveys

Why this table matters: it brings the key markers most readers care about into one frame: how many smoke, who smokes most, how many vape, and where daily use concentrates. The picture is a country with fewer smokers, more adult vapers, and different patterns by age and sex. With that snapshot in mind, we can turn to what this means for policy and the high-street.

Policy signals and practical next steps

Lower smoking prevalence is good news for health budgets and households. Fewer cigarettes mean fewer hospital admissions down the line, less secondhand smoke in homes and cars, and lower out-of-pocket costs. But the rise in vaping needs steady guardrails: age checks that work, clear product standards, and price signals that push adults to regulated products rather than the illicit market.

For local authorities and NHS stop-smoking services, the pathway looks familiar: keep pushing proven supports such as counseling and approved nicotine replacement, and, where appropriate, help smokers who will not quit nicotine move to regulated alternatives as a step down. That approach mirrors what the data suggests people are already doing on their own. The next section looks at device type, because not all products carry the same risks or real-world litter footprint.

Disposables vs refillables

• Disposables add to waste, often slip into underage hands, and carry higher per-puff costs.
  
• Refillables cut cost per use, reduce waste, and require a deliberate purchase of e-liquid, which is easier to age-gate.
  

Retailers report a steady swing to refillables among adult daily users, and policymakers have taken aim at disposable waste and underage access. That shared ground suggests a narrow set of actions can reduce harms without punishing adults who have already left cigarettes.

Gender, budgets, and the home front

The male-female split in 2024 points to something readers tell us in letters and emails: nicotine habits inside a household are often negotiated. One partner may quit cigarettes and move to a refillable kit to cut costs; the other may quit entirely. High food and housing costs sharpen those choices. Vaping liquid bought in larger bottles, spread over weeks, gives more room to plan, which keeps some adults from sliding back to a last-minute pack at the corner shop.

Workplaces shape habits too. After COVID-19, more hybrid offices and shift-based roles leave less space for smoke breaks. Vaping tends to be used before or after a shift rather than on the floor, which helps employers keep the air clean and the schedule moving. The habits built around these routines show up in the daily-use peaks among 25 to 49 year olds. That brings us back to how the market responds.

Product choice on the high-street

• Adults who vape daily favor tank or pod systems with consistent coils.
  
• New adult users often start with simple pods, then step into refillables for cost and flavor control.
  
• Seasonal deals move households to buy e-liquid in bulk, which supports quit attempts by reducing the chance of running out midweek.
  

These patterns echo the quote from Go-Liquid earlier: performance and predictability now drive adult choices more than novelty. The next section looks at the youth question, because that is where most concern lives.

The youth question: risk, access, and enforcement

ONS data shows e-cigarette use remains highest among 16 to 24 year olds, even with a fall from 2023 levels. That is the zone that keeps parents, schools, and councils on alert. Strong age checks, clear packaging rules, and supply chain enforcement matter here. The fastest way to protect youth is to dry up illegal sales and keep products inside compliant retail channels with real checks.

At the same time, we should keep perspective: youth smoking is lower than in past generations, and adult smoking is at a record low. Both trends reduce total harm over a lifetime. The task now is to prevent a pipeline from youth experimentation to long-term dependence. That requires steady policy, not swings that push adults back to cigarettes or into unregulated sources. With that balance in mind, we look ahead.

What to watch next in 2025

Three markers will tell us if Britain stays on the same path:

• Adult smoking below 10 percent: the UK is within touching distance. Continued falls among 25 to 34 year olds would likely tip the scale.
  
• Refillables hold share over disposables: if price, rules, and retail practice continue to favor refillables, expect litter and underage access to ease.
  
• Gender patterns converge: watch whether women’s e-cigarette use levels off or men’s use turns back up; either would suggest stabilizing routines after a volatile few years.
  

For local newsrooms, the story remains practical. Fewer cigarettes mean fewer family budgets strained by a weekly pack, fewer kids breathing smoke in small flats, and fewer emergency admissions over time. Vaping as an adult alternative is here, but it needs steady checks so minors do not get swept into the market.

Bottom line for readers: Britain is smoking less than at any point since 2011, and adult vaping has passed smoking in headcount. The strongest falls are among young adults, daily vaping is most common in the 25 to 49 range, and retailers report a shift to refillable, regulated devices for cost and control. That is not a fad. It reflects how people manage stress, budgets, and health after COVID-19.

Source mentions:

1. ONS – Smoking prevalence in the UK and the impact of data collection changes (2020). Methodology notes on APS phone-only mode and OPN stability, with 2020 figures. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/drugusealcoholandsmoking/bulletins/smokingprevalenceintheukandtheimpactofdatacollectionchanges/2020
   

2. ONS – Adult smoking habits in Great Britain (Dataset, 2024 edition / 2025 release page). Long-run series on smoking and quitting.  https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/drugusealcoholandsmoking/datasets/adultsmokinghabitsingreatbritain
   

3. ONS – Adult smoking habits in Great Britain: 2024. Updates on prevalence and survey mode reversion. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/healthandlifeexpectancies/bulletins/adultsmokinghabitsingreatbritain/2024
   

4. UK Government / DHSC – E-cigarettes: regulations for consumer products. UK limits (10 ml refills, 2 ml tanks, 20 mg cap), MHRA notification requirements.https://www.gov.uk/guidance/e-cigarettes-regulations-for-consumer-products
   

5. NHS – Using e-cigarettes to stop smoking. Evidence summary for adult cessation support in England.
   

6. UK Government – Tobacco and vapes: evidence to support legislation (2025). Current official stance on vaping for adult smokers and youth protection.
   

7. Peer-reviewed study – Association of the COVID-19 lockdown with smoking, drinking and attempts to quit in England (Smoking Toolkit Study). Context for 2020 behavioral patterns.
   
   

Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) – Smoking statistics fact sheet. Corroborative reference for demographic patterns.