The proportion of adults who use e-cigarettes in Britain is at its highest level, according to new figures.
The percentage of smokers who are using vapes as well as smoking cigarettes has also nearly doubled in the past three years, while ex-smokers who turn to e-cigarettes to quit are using them for longer.
Experts said that vaping is less harmful than smoking cigarettes but is “not risk free” and should be used only as an aid to quit.
The Smokefree GB analysis, conducted by Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) and based on data collected by YouGov for the public health charity, estimates 11% of the adult population in Britain vape, the equivalent of 5.6 million people and the highest rate ever.
Some 53% – or three million people – are former smokers, according to Ash.
Among all former smokers – including those who still vape or no longer vape – the median length of time spent using e-cigarettes is two years.
However, in the last three years, Ash found more than half of current vapers who are ex-smokers had been vaping for more than three years.
This is compared with 18% in 2017 when the question was first asked as part of the analysis.
Hazel Cheeseman, deputy chief executive of Ash, said: “Smoking is still the country’s biggest preventable killer and vaping is one of many tools needed to help smokers quit if we are to create a smokefree country for current as well as future generations.”
Professor Sanjay Agrawal, the Royal College of Physicians’ special adviser on tobacco and a consultant in respiratory and critical care medicine at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, added: “In the last few years almost all the patients I see who manage to quit smoking do so through vaping and without it I fear many of them would not have.
“Vapes are already being used by stop smoking services and NHS support for smokers but they could be used more widely in our efforts to help the millions still smoking quit.”
It could also lead to restrictions on the flavours, packaging and display of vapes.
Ms Cheeseman stressed that it is important proposed legislation around e-cigarettes is aimed at deterring children from vaping rather than adults who want to give up smoking.
She added: “Millions of people have used vapes to successfully stop smoking in recent years, increasing healthy life expectancy and improving the nation’s productivity.
“Tougher vape regulations are urgently needed, but it is important they are calibrated to address youth vaping while not deterring use of vapes as quitting aids.”
Henry Gregg, director of external affairs at Asthma and Lung UK, said: “Quitting smoking can be incredibly difficult, so it’s great to see that many smokers find vapes a really effective stop smoking aid.
“But to help as many smokers as possible to quit, it’s vital that the Government increases investment in local stop smoking services. These have suffered drastic cuts in recent years but do a fantastic job of supporting people to stop smoking for good and deal with smoking’s deadly legacy.”
Half of smokers told the survey that they think vaping is equally or more harmful than smoking, along with 60% of smokers who have never used e-cigarettes.
This is compared with 24% of former smokers who quit in the last five years.
Leonie Brose, a professor of addictions public health at King’s College London, added: “More than half of people who smoke long term will die prematurely due to smoking.
“Alarmingly, half of those who smoke think vaping is just as harmful or more harmful and almost as many are unaware that nicotine-containing medication is less harmful than smoking.
“These misperceptions are costing lives and we need continued focus on reducing the harms from smoking.”
Reacting to the Ash figures, Dr Katherine East of King’s College London said: “The majority of adults who have quit smoking in Great Britain used a vape in their last quit attempt.
“Quitting smoking is one of the best things a person who smokes can do for their health, and the latest Ash data show the importance that vapes can have on this journey.”
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “While vaping can be an effective tool to stop smoking, the health advice is clear: children and adults that do not smoke should never vape.
“The upcoming Tobacco and Vapes Bill will protect future generations from the harms of tobacco and nicotine, saving thousands of lives and easing pressures on the NHS.
“By building a healthier society, we will help to build a healthy economy.”
