UK : Highest rate of smokers switching to e-cigs in Europe

British people are switching to e-cigarettes faster than any other Europeans, and this comes as no surprise as the country has endorsed the products for smoking cessation.

Diane Caruana

February 7, 2017

In 2016, the UK has not only opened itself to the use electronic cigarettes as smoking cessation tools, but also launched a number of campaigns to encourage smokers to switch from cigarettes to the tobacco harm alternatives.

The UK leading the way in harm reduction

These efforts are clearly paying off as the latest data published by EY clearly indicates that as of 2013, the rate of people switching from smoking to vaping has been that of 1 person every 4 minutes. This means less smoke related diseases and deaths, and also less health related expenses.

“The UK has one of the most progressive regulatory environments for e-cigarettes and that’s reflected in consumer uptake and category growth.” Kingsley Wheaton, managing director for Next Generation Products, at British American Tobacco

The EY report shows that a total of 4.2% of the population vape, which equates to over 2 million people, a significant number when taking in consideration the fact that as per the data released by Public Health England, vaping is at least 95% safer than smoking. The next highest percentage of vapers is found in France, and adds up to 3.1%.

As of 2013, the rate of people switching from smoking to vaping has been that of 1 person every 4 minutes.

“The UK has one of the most progressive regulatory environments for e-cigarettes and that’s reflected in consumer uptake and category growth.” said Kingsley Wheaton, managing director for Next Generation Products, at British American Tobacco, adding, “The UK government has created an environment which enables consumers to be informed about the products, have access to them and allows manufacturers to innovate and provide quality vaping products.”

Growth expected even in the US, despite regulations

On the other side of the world, last month at the Tobacco Plus Expo (TPE) 2017 which took place in Vegas, managing director of tobacco, beverage and convenience store research at Wells Fargo Securities LLC, Bonnie Herzog said that she forecasts up to $4.4 billion in sales by 2017, from $4.1 in 2016, and up to $10 billion by 2020 in the US. Positive news as growth is expected even in the states, despite the fact that the products are harshly regulated.