Vaping patterns in Great Britain are changing across age groups, with women aged 25–34 emerging as the group with the highest estimated usage rate in the latest official statistics. New figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that 18.3% of women in this age range reported using e-cigarettes in 2025, compared with 14.4% of men of the same age.
The findings come from the ONS report Adult Smoking Habits in the UK: 2025, published on October 6, 2026. Although overall adult vaping prevalence remained broadly stable, the data revealed notable differences by age and sex.
The figures describe reported vaping behaviour, rather than product sales, market revenue or the number of devices purchased. They also represent survey estimates, so differences between groups should be interpreted carefully.
Women Aged 25–34 Show a Marked Increase in Vaping Prevalence
The ONS data show that vaping among women aged 25–34 has increased considerably over the past decade.
In 2014, the estimated vaping rate for this group was 5.4%. By 2020, it had reached 8.3%, before rising to 10.4% in 2023 and 13.7% in 2024. The rate then climbed to 18.3% in 2025, the highest point estimate recorded for this age-and-sex group since the ONS began collecting comparable vaping statistics in 2014.
The latest figure represents an increase of 4.6 percentage points from 2024 and 10 percentage points from 2020.
Men aged 25–34 also recorded an increase, although their estimated rate remained lower. Vaping prevalence among men in this age group rose from 12.0% in 2024 to 14.4% in 2025.
These figures suggest that vaping behaviour is evolving differently among younger adult men and women. However, the survey does not establish why these patterns have changed, and the results should not be interpreted as evidence of a particular cause.
The 25–34 Age Group Overtakes Younger Adults
The shift among women aged 25–34 forms part of a broader change in the age profile of vaping across Great Britain.
Between 2021 and 2024, people aged 16–24 had the highest estimated vaping prevalence among adult age groups. In 2025, that position moved to people aged 25–34.
The overall vaping rate for the 25–34 age group reached 16.4% in 2025, up from 12.9% the previous year. Among people aged 16–24, the rate stood at 12.9%, slightly below the 13.0% recorded in 2024.
The change does not necessarily mean that younger adults have stopped vaping in large numbers. Rather, the latest survey indicates that the relative prevalence of vaping has shifted, with the 25–34 group becoming the most likely to report current use.
This distinction matters when interpreting public-health statistics. Changes in prevalence can reflect different trends across multiple population groups, and a single year’s figures do not explain the reasons behind those movements.
Why the Overall Figures Look Different From the Age-Specific Results
Despite the increase among adults aged 25–34, vaping across the wider adult population of Great Britain remained broadly stable.
The ONS estimated that approximately 5.4 million people aged 16 and over used e-cigarettes daily or occasionally in 2025. That represented 9.9% of the population, compared with 10.0% in 2024.
The overall figure combines people of different ages and sexes. As a result, a substantial increase within one subgroup can occur without producing a comparable increase across the entire population.
The data also showed differences between men and women overall. In 2025, the estimated vaping rate was 10.2% among men aged 16 and over and 9.6% among women.
The pattern among people aged 25–34 was different: women had a higher point estimate than men in that age group. This illustrates why national averages alone may not fully describe changes within specific demographic groups.
Daily and Occasional Vaping Among Women Aged 25–34
The ONS also separated current vaping into daily and occasional use.
Among women aged 25–34 in 2025, an estimated 11.2% reported vaping daily, while 7.1% reported occasional use. Together, these categories accounted for the published overall rate of 18.3%.
For men in the same age group, the corresponding figures were 9.9% for daily vaping and 4.6% for occasional use. Minor differences between rounded figures and published totals can occur because of rounding.
This breakdown provides additional context beyond the headline prevalence figure. It shows that the total includes both regular users and people who vape less frequently.
The ONS also reported that 10.0% of women aged 25–34 had used e-cigarettes in the past but were not current users, while 71.7% said they had never used them. The former category includes a range of past experiences and should not automatically be interpreted as representing people who successfully quit vaping.
A Statistical Caution: The Difference Between Men and Women Is Not Conclusive
Although the 2025 estimate for women aged 25–34 was higher than the figure for men of the same age, the difference requires careful interpretation.
The ONS reported a 95% confidence interval of 14.4% to 22.2% for women aged 25–34. For men in the same group, the interval ranged from 10.6% to 18.3%.
Because these intervals overlap, the published estimates alone do not establish that the underlying vaping prevalence among women was statistically significantly higher than that among men.
The 18.3% figure remains the highest point estimate across the ONS age-and-sex categories for 2025, but it is important to distinguish that observation from a confirmed statistical difference between the two populations.
Longer-term figures provide another perspective. Between 2014 and 2025, estimated vaping prevalence rose by 12.9 percentage points among women aged 25–34 and by 9.1 percentage points among men in the same age group.
The ONS also notes that survey methods and classifications have changed over time, particularly around 2020. While the organisation considers its current overall vaping indicators suitable for comparison across the relevant period, longer-term changes should still be interpreted with appropriate care.
The latest figures also come as the UK continues to reshape its vaping market, making it useful to understand which vaping products remain available after the disposable vape ban.
What the Latest Figures Say About Smoking and Vaping
The same ONS release provides context on cigarette smoking, although the smoking and vaping estimates come from different surveys and have different population coverage.
For Great Britain, the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey estimated that around 8.7% of people aged 16 and over were current cigarette smokers in 2025. The separate Annual Population Survey estimated that 9.8% of UK adults aged 18 and over smoked cigarettes.
These figures should not be directly compared as if they were produced using the same methodology. They cover different age ranges and geographical populations and rely on different survey systems.
The ONS data nevertheless show that smoking and vaping remain important subjects in the monitoring of adult health behaviour. The latest vaping figures highlight changes among specific demographic groups, while the broader smoking estimates provide a separate measure of cigarette use.
The statistics do not, by themselves, explain why individuals vape or smoke, nor do they establish the health outcomes associated with particular patterns of use.
What the Findings Mean for the Vaping Industry
For businesses and researchers following the UK nicotine market, the ONS results provide a demographic snapshot rather than a direct measure of commercial demand.
The higher point estimate among women aged 25–34 may attract attention from analysts studying changes in consumer behaviour. However, prevalence data alone cannot determine which products people use, how much they spend, whether they prefer particular device formats or what motivates their decisions.
The distinction is especially important when evaluating market opportunities. Population surveys measure reported behaviour, whereas sales reports, retail data and industry financial disclosures measure different aspects of the market.
For policymakers, the findings underline the value of examining age-specific trends rather than relying exclusively on national averages. For journalists and researchers, they also demonstrate the need to distinguish changes in estimated prevalence from confirmed statistical differences or explanations of causation.
These demographic trends are unfolding alongside wider changes to the UK vaping market, including the proposed UK vape regulations on age limits, sales and promotion that businesses and consumers should understand.
Conclusion: A Changing Age Profile, but a Stable Overall Rate
The latest ONS figures reveal two trends occurring at the same time. Women aged 25–34 recorded an estimated vaping prevalence of 18.3% in 2025, while the overall rate across Great Britain remained close to 10%.
The 25–34 age group also replaced those aged 16–24 as the group with the highest overall estimated vaping prevalence. Yet the overlap between confidence intervals for men and women aged 25–34 means that the apparent gender difference should not be overstated.
The findings offer a useful snapshot of how vaping patterns vary across adult age groups. Future data will help establish whether these changes continue, while further research would be needed to explain the factors driving them.