Adebayo Adebisi, Yusuff and Polosa, Riccardo and George, Jacob (2026) Harm reduction implications of vaping overtaking smoking in Great Britain. International Journal of Public Health, 71, 1609671. https://doi.org/10.3389/ijph.2026.1609671.
External website: https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/internationa...
In 2024, for the first time since national records began, more adults in Great Britain used e-cigarettes than smoked tobacco cigarettes [1]. Data released by the UK Office for National Statistics in November 2025 showed that 10.0% of adults aged 16 years and over were current e-cigarette users, compared with 9.1% who smoked tobacco (See Figure 1). This statistical crossover is a notable milestone in tobacco control, occurring alongside sustained declines in smoking prevalence—from 20.2% in 2011 to 10.6% in 2024. While cross-sectional and temporal data limit causal inference, these trends are consistent with harm reduction approaches operating alongside traditional tobacco control measures in driving population-level declines in smoking.
B Substances > Tobacco (cigarette smoking)
B Substances > Tobacco (cigarette smoking) > Nicotine product (e-cigarette / vaping / heated)
HJ Treatment or recovery method > Substance disorder treatment method > Cessation of tobacco / nicotine use
J Health care, prevention, harm reduction and treatment > Harm reduction > Substance use harm reduction
MM-MO Crime and law > Substance use laws > Tobacco / nicotine laws
MP-MR Policy, planning, economics, work and social services > Policy > Policy on substance use > Harm reduction policy
VA Geographic area > Europe > United Kingdom
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