Scotland recorded the UK's highest smoking prevalence in 2025 at 11.4%, despite a drop from 12% the previous year, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The data comes as adult vaping across Great Britain continues to outpace combustible cigarette use.
UK Regional Smoking Prevalence
The ONS Annual Population Survey highlighted continuing regional differences in smoking prevalence across the UK nations.
| Region / Nation | 2025 Smoking Rate |
|---|---|
| Scotland | 11.4% |
| Wales | 11.1% |
| Northern Ireland | 9.9% |
| England | 9.5% |
Within Scotland, five-year data from 2021 to 2025 revealed that Clackmannanshire and North Lanarkshire recorded the highest proportions of current smokers, while East Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire registered the lowest.
Vaping Trends and Demographic Shifts
According to the ONS Opinions and Lifestyle Survey, 9.9% of British adults (5.4 million people) used e-cigarettes daily or occasionally in 2025, compared to 8.7% (4.8 million people) who smoked.
While e-cigarette use dropped across most age brackets, uptake among 25 to 34-year-olds climbed from 12.9% to 16.4%, making them the group most likely to vape. Meanwhile, the proportion of vapers who had never smoked rose slightly to 2.9%, representing roughly 1.1 million individuals.
Industry Response to New Tax Policies
The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) warned that recent tax measures could disrupt smoking cessation efforts. John Dunne, Director General of the UKVIA, raised concerns regarding the newly introduced Vaping Products Duty, which increases product costs by up to 264%.
Dunne stated:
"At the same time that vaping is helping millions of adults move away from or stay off cigarettes, a growing list of policies and proposals risk making vapes harder to choose and less accessible for the very people who rely on them."
Dunne cited an industry survey showing that 50% of adult vapers feared the tax hike would push them back to smoking or the illicit market. Economic modeling by the Centre for Economics and Business Research estimated that 946,000 vapers could return to combustible tobacco, creating £306.6 million in additional healthcare and productivity costs.
