N
F
E
R
NEWS
H
UK VAPE NUMBERS
REACH RECORD HIGH
We now have 3.6 million vapers and half of those have given
up smoking completely.
Words: Patrick Griffi n
The number of people vaping in the UK stands at an all-time high of
3.6 million, according to new fi gures from Action on Smoking and
Health (ASH.)
The UK vaping community has increased by 12.5 percent in the last
12 months and vapers currently make up 7.1 percent of Britain’s
population.
This number of UK vapers is now around half of the number of
smokers and the majority of e-cigarette users are also former
tobacco users.
ASH has been monitoring vaping trends since 2012 and has
confi rmed something that has been widely known within the industry
for years…the main reason for smokers using e-cigarettes is to give
up tobacco.
Ann McNeill, Professor of Tobacco Addiction at King’s College
London, said: “The ASH Smokefree GB survey is the longest -running
survey of e-cigarette use, providing the most up-to-date evidence
available on how vaping is evolving in Britain.
“More than half of current vapers are ex-smokers compared with
only a third in 2014. However, it’s important that all vapers stop
smoking completely, as otherwise they are still exposing themselves
to the serious risks of disease and disability caused by smoking.
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“Vaping isn’t risk free, but it’s much less risky than smoking, which
kills nearly 100,000 people a year in the UK.”
The ASH survey data shows that the number of vapers in the UK has
increased from 700,000 in 2012 to 3.6 million in 2019 - and of these:
•54 percent have given up smoking
•40 percent both smoke and vape while
•6 percent have never smoked
Another interesting statistic from the UK data is that there is no teen
vaping epidemic over here. E-cigarettes are most popular among 35
to 44-year-olds, followed by 45 to 54-year-olds but the lowest rates
of use are among those aged 18 to 24.
Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Ash, said: “Although e-cigarettes
are now the most popular quitting aid, our survey fi nds that in 2019
over a third of smokers have still never tried vaping.
“As Stoptober kicks off, we’d encourage smokers who haven’t done
so yet, to give vaping a try.
“E-cigarettes have been shown to be a very effective aid for smokers
trying to quit, either on their own or with help from stop smoking
services.”