Health · Public Health & Disease · 3 hrs ago
More than one million people in the UK who never smoked now vape
More than one million people in the UK who have never smoked say they now vape, according to Office for National Statistics survey data, and the number has risen year on year.
Vaping was first presented as a way to help smokers quit cigarettes, but people who never smoked are taking it up too.
Gracey Mungulu, a 21-year-old in London, started vaping after seeing it become common among her classmates and now uses a refillable vape every day.
Some users say stress, social habits and the hand-to-mouth action drew them in, while regular use can become part of everyday routines.
Nicotine is highly addictive and can cause withdrawal symptoms such as irritability and anxiety; the NHS says vaping is less harmful than smoking, but its long-term effects are not yet clear.
Malin Andersson, 33, quit in May after becoming frustrated with her reliance on vaping and says her mental and physical health improved.
The rising number of never-smokers who vape raises questions about nicotine use beyond smoking cessation, while the survey data shows the trend has continued to grow.
More than one million people in the UK who say they have never smoked now vape, according to recent Office for National Statistics survey data.
The number has risen year on year.
Vaping was first seen as a way to help smokers quit, but people who never smoked say social habits, stress and the physical act can draw them in.
Vapes containing nicotine can cause dependence, and the NHS says their long-term effects are not yet clear.
Gracey Mungulu, who began vaping at 16, now buys a refillable vape every day.
- Who
- More than one million people in the UK who have never smoked now vape.
- What
- The story examines why non-smokers take up vaping and how it can become a habit.
- When
- Recent ONS survey data shows the number has risen year on year. The article was published on 16 October 2026.
- Where
- The UK.
- Why
- People interviewed cited social influence, stress, anxiety and the physical act of vaping.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Gracey Mungulu began vaping after seeing the habit become common among her classmates.
Malin Andersson quit vaping after becoming frustrated with how reliant she had become on it.
Mungulu says she buys a refillable vape every day.
- Non-smokers who vape
- More than one million people in the UK
- Age group most likely to vape
- People aged 25-34
- Daily or occasional vaping
- Nearly one in six people aged 25-34 may vape, according to the ONS report
- Gracey Mungulu
- Began vaping at 16; now 21
- Malin Andersson
- Quit vaping in May this year
What people are saying
The more you see it, the more you start trying it a bit more
It's that kind of psychological dependence on something else to almost regulate their emotions
It's a dopamine hit
It's literally an adult's version of a dummy