Vaping may have prevented up to 100 billion cigarettes from being smoked in Britain since 2013, according to new analysis.
Campaign group We Vape said the rapid rise of vaping as an alternative to smoking has coincided with one of the steepest falls in cigarette use in modern British history.
Drawing on government, Office for National Statistics (ONS) and ASH data, the group estimates that between 80 billion and 100 billion cigarettes have not been smoked in Great Britain since 2013 as adult smokers switched away from combustible tobacco.
It also claims the shift has prevented more than one trillion puffs of tobacco smoke from being inhaled.
We Vape said the avoided cigarette volume would be enough to fill up to 400 Wembley Stadiums, wrap around the Earth 200 times, or stretch more than 20 round trips to the Moon if laid end-to-end.
Smoking rates have nearly halved
Adult smoking rates in Britain have fallen sharply over the past decade. According to the analysis, smoking prevalence dropped from 18.8 per cent in 2013 to 10.6 per cent in 2024 – a fall of nearly 44 per cent.
Over roughly the same period, the number of adult vapers rose from 1.3 million in 2013 to around 5.5 million in 2025.
The figures do not prove that vaping alone caused the fall in smoking. Smoking rates have also been pushed down by tax rises, advertising restrictions, smoke-free laws, public health campaigns and changing social attitudes.
But We Vape argues that vaping has played a major role because it gives smokers something previous anti-smoking campaigns often struggled to provide, which is a practical alternative to cigarettes.
Mark Oates, founder of We Vape, said: “This is the clean air victory hiding in plain sight. The UK didn’t just reduce smoking – it reduced smoke itself.”
He added: “Governments globally need to truly and widely recognise the impact harm reduction has had on society. It reduces the burden on healthcare, will likely save and extend millions of lives long-term and has turned people away from combustible tobacco to a vastly safer alternative.”
Young adult smoking has fallen sharply
The analysis also points to a particularly steep drop in smoking among young adults.
Smoking prevalence among 18 to 24-year-olds fell from 25.7 per cent in 2011 to 8.1 per cent in 2024, according to ONS figures.
That decline is important because smoking is usually established early. If fewer young adults become regular smokers, the long-term public health gains could be significant.
The UK has taken a relatively harm-reduction-based approach to vaping compared with many other countries. While ministers have moved to restrict youth access and ban disposable vapes, public health bodies have also repeatedly stressed that vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking for adults who would otherwise continue to smoke.
Public Health England’s long-standing evidence review concluded that vaping is significantly less harmful than smoking, although it is not risk-free and non-smokers should not start.
A warning for policy makers
The We Vape analysis comes as governments around the world tighten restrictions on vaping and other smoke-free nicotine products.
In the UK, disposable vapes have been banned and further rules on flavours, packaging and displays are imminent under the Tobacco and Vapes Bill. Supporters say tighter controls are needed to stop children vaping, but harm reduction advocates warn that poorly designed rules could make it harder for adult smokers to switch.
The key question is whether policy can reduce youth vaping without weakening one of the most widely used alternatives to cigarettes.
We Vape argues that Britain’s experience shows what can happen when smokers are allowed access to less harmful nicotine products. The group says the fall in smoking should be treated as a public health success, not as an argument for making vaping less available to adults.
“Our fight continues to spread this message, but on World Vape Day, we should take a moment to acknowledge the successes so far,” Oates said.
