Global vaping statistics 2026 show a market in transition: adult e-cigarette use in the United States reached 6.5% in 2023, up from 4.5% in 2019 (CDC, National Health Interview Survey; NCHS Data Brief 524, January 2025), even as youth vaping fell to its lowest level in a decade and disposable devices lost ground to refillable hardware after UK and US restrictions. This roundup pulls together the sourced numbers on who vapes, how the device market has shifted, and what the clinical evidence actually says about vaping as a way to quit cigarettes.
1. Adult Vaping Prevalence in 2026
The most current federal figures come from the CDC’s National Health Interview Survey. In 2023, 6.5% of all US adults reported current e-cigarette use, continuing an upward trend from 4.5% in 2019 (NCHS Data Brief 524, January 2025). Use is heavily concentrated in young adulthood: 21-24-year-olds recorded the highest rate of any age band at 15.5%, more than double the all-adult average and up from 10.1% in the same age group in 2019. Men remain more likely to vape than women across nearly every age group.
- US adult vaping rate (2023): 6.5% (CDC/NHIS, NCHS Data Brief 524)
- US adult vaping rate (2019): 4.5% (same series)
- Highest-use age band: 21-24 years, 15.5% in 2023 (10.1% in 2019)
- Exclusive cigarette smoking among US adults: fell from 10.8% (2017) to 7.9% (2023), while exclusive e-cigarette use rose from 1.2% to 4.1% over the same period (CDC MMWR, 2025)
The comparison matters. CDC’s own analysis of the 2017-2023 trend found the decrease of roughly 6.8 million adults who exclusively smoked cigarettes was offset by an increase of about 7.2 million exclusive e-cigarette users, meaning overall tobacco product use did not fall over that period (MMWR, Notes from the Field, 2025). That substitution effect is why public-health agencies watch the vaping numbers so closely rather than treating them as a settled decline story.
2. Youth Vaping Trend, 2019 to 2026
Youth e-cigarette use tells a different story from the adult numbers. The 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), run jointly by the CDC and FDA, found 5.9% of US middle and high school students were current e-cigarette users — about 1.63 million young people, down from 2.13 million a year earlier and roughly 70% below the 2019 peak of over 5 million youth users.
| Group | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| High school (grades 9-12) | 10.0% | 7.8% |
| Middle school (grades 6-8) | — | No statistically significant change from 2023 |
| All students (6-12), any e-cigarette use | 2.13 million students | 1.63 million students (5.9%) |
What the overall decline conceals is an intensity shift: among the youth who still vape, heavy use is common. In the 2025 NYTS, 41.2% of students who currently used e-cigarettes reported frequent use — on 20 or more of the previous 30 days — and 66.3% used disposable devices. Fewer teens are trying e-cigarettes, but the ones who continue are using more often, a pattern researchers link to high-nicotine disposable products. For the fuller picture of how vaping fits into overall youth tobacco use, see our youth smoking and vaping prevalence data, or read the CDC and FDA’s own 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey report.
3. Device-Type Shift After the Disposable Bans
Regulation has reshaped which devices people actually use. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland banned the sale and supply of single-use disposable vapes from 1 June 2025, and a patchwork of US state-level flavor and origin restrictions has squeezed the disposable category further through 2026. Retailers and trade bodies reported a sharp drop in total vape sales volume in the months immediately after the UK ban, with refillable and pod-based hardware absorbing much of the surviving demand rather than the demand disappearing.
- UK disposable vape ban: in force since 1 June 2025, all four UK nations
- Immediate effect: a steep fall in disposable sales volume, only partly offset by refillable pod sales in the first months
- Market direction: share moving from single-use disposables toward refillable pod systems
Our explainer on what the UK disposable vape ban actually changed breaks down the enforcement details and what compliant alternatives look like for existing users.
A local news report walks through the CDC’s findings on rising adult e-cigarette use alongside record-low cigarette smoking.
4. Vaping as a Cessation Tool: The Cochrane Data
The strongest evidence on vaping and quitting cigarettes comes from the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group’s living review of electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation, whose latest update searched the literature to 1 January 2026 and includes 80 completed randomized controlled trials covering 29,861 participants. It found high-certainty evidence that nicotine e-cigarettes increase quit rates compared with nicotine replacement therapy (NRT): a risk ratio of 1.61 (95% CI 1.23 to 2.12), translating to roughly four additional quitters per 100 people compared with NRT alone (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2026).
| Comparison | Finding | Certainty |
|---|---|---|
| Nicotine e-cigarette vs. NRT | RR 1.61 (1.23-2.12); about 4 more quitters per 100 | High |
| Nicotine e-cigarette vs. non-nicotine e-cigarette | RR 1.34 (1.05-1.69); about 2 more quitters per 100 | Moderate |
| Nicotine e-cigarette vs. behavioral support only or no support | RR 1.75 (1.39-2.20) | Low (risk of bias) |
The honest caveat researchers attach to these findings: switching is not the same as quitting nicotine altogether. Longitudinal cohorts following smokers who switched to vaping generally find that a substantial minority are still using nicotine e-cigarettes at two-year follow-up rather than having stopped nicotine use entirely, with published estimates commonly falling in the 30-40% range depending on the cohort and how continued use is defined. Our 2026 smoking cessation statistics and success rates by method put those longer-term outcomes alongside every other quit route.
5. Dual Use: Smokers Who Also Vape
A meaningful share of the “vaping population” isn’t ex-smokers at all — it’s people using both products at once. CDC data on adult tobacco use shows dual use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes concentrated in younger adults: 18-24 and 25-44-year-olds are considerably more likely to use both products than adults 45 and over. Cigarettes plus e-cigarettes is consistently the most common two-product combination among US adults who use any tobacco product.
- Most common product pairing: cigarettes plus e-cigarettes
- Dual use most common in: ages 18-24 and 25-44
- Clinical significance: dual users generally show smaller reductions in toxicant exposure than people who fully switch or fully quit
Public-health researchers flag dual use as a distinct risk category, since continuing to smoke even occasionally largely erases the exposure reduction that full switching can offer.
6. Nicotine Strength and Product Trends
Nicotine strength has become a regulatory flashpoint. UK e-liquids are capped at 20 mg/ml under UK tobacco and vaping law, the strength that disposables normalized before the 2025 ban. As the market shifts toward refillable pod systems, retailers report growing demand for lower nic-salt strengths such as 10 mg/ml, and stepping strength down over time is a widely used self-directed reduction tactic among people trying to cut their nicotine intake.
- UK legal nicotine cap: 20 mg/ml
- Pre-ban norm: disposables sold at or near the 20 mg/ml cap
- Trend direction: stepping down from 20 mg disposables toward 10 mg refillable pods
- Why it matters for quitting: a planned strength taper is easier to track than an unplanned one
7. What This Data Means If You’re Quitting
For someone weighing vaping against other quit strategies, the numbers point to a nuanced conclusion: nicotine e-cigarettes outperform NRT alone in head-to-head trials, but they are not risk-free and a meaningful share of switchers stay dependent on nicotine. Apps that support whatever method someone chooses — including gradual reduction or scheduled tapering rather than an abrupt device swap — tend to pair well with this evidence. iQuit‘s free dashboard tracks days since your last nicotine product, cravings logged by trigger, and money saved regardless of whether your last product was a cigarette, a disposable, or a pod, which is useful for the many quitters whose journey includes more than one nicotine product along the way.
Readers comparing pouches with vaping as a lower-visibility alternative may also find our comparison of nicotine pouches versus vaping for quitting useful, and anyone still deciding whether switching is worth it at all should read how vaping’s risk profile compares with smoking.
8. Methodology and Sources
Adult prevalence figures are drawn from the CDC National Health Interview Survey via NCHS Data Brief 524 (January 2025), which covers 2019-2023, and from the CDC’s MMWR Notes from the Field on adult tobacco product use, 2017-2023 (published 2025). Youth prevalence comes from the 2024 and 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey, jointly administered by the CDC and FDA. Cessation-effectiveness data comes from the Cochrane Tobacco Addiction Group’s living systematic review, Electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation, updated with searches to 1 January 2026. Where a precise figure was not available in a comparable, sourced form — including post-ban retail sales volumes and the distribution of nicotine strengths in use — a qualitative description is given instead of a single number. All figures reflect the most recent published survey wave available at the time of writing and may be revised as newer data is released.
Frequently Asked Questions
What percentage of US adults vape in 2026?
The most recent published federal estimate, from the CDC’s National Health Interview Survey, found 6.5% of US adults were current e-cigarette users in 2023, up from 4.5% in 2019 (NCHS Data Brief 524, January 2025). Use is highest among young adults aged 21-24, at 15.5%.
Is youth vaping going up or down in 2026?
Down. The 2024 National Youth Tobacco Survey found 5.9% of US middle and high school students currently vape — 1.63 million students, down from 2.13 million in 2023 and roughly 70% below the 2019 peak. However, 41.2% of the students who still vape reported frequent use in the 2025 survey.
Does vaping actually help people quit smoking cigarettes?
Cochrane’s 2026 living review of 80 randomized trials found high-certainty evidence that nicotine e-cigarettes increase quit rates compared with nicotine replacement therapy (RR 1.61, 95% CI 1.23 to 2.12, about four more quitters per 100). But switching is not the same as quitting nicotine — a substantial minority of switchers are still vaping at two years.
How did the UK disposable vape ban change the market?
England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland banned the sale and supply of single-use disposable vapes from 1 June 2025. Retailers reported a steep fall in disposable sales volume in the months that followed, with refillable pod systems absorbing much of the surviving demand rather than the demand disappearing entirely.
What is “dual use” and how common is it?
Dual use means someone regularly smokes cigarettes and vapes at the same time, rather than having switched fully. CDC data shows cigarettes plus e-cigarettes is the most common two-product combination among US adults who use tobacco, concentrated in adults under 45, and dual users see smaller reductions in toxicant exposure than people who switch fully or quit.
What nicotine strength do most vapers use in 2026?
In the UK, e-liquid nicotine is capped at 20 mg/ml by law, and disposables typically sold at or near that cap before the June 2025 ban. Since the ban, the market trend has been toward lower-strength refillable pod formats such as 10 mg/ml, and stepping strength down over time is a common self-directed reduction tactic.
Are more people vaping or smoking cigarettes in 2026?
Cigarette smoking is falling while vaping rises. CDC’s 2017-2023 analysis found exclusive cigarette smoking among US adults dropped from 10.8% to 7.9% while exclusive e-cigarette use rose from 1.2% to 4.1% — a decrease of about 6.8 million exclusive smokers offset by an increase of roughly 7.2 million exclusive vapers.
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