New national data gives an encouraging update on smoking and vaping among secondary school learners in Wales.

Analysis by Public Health Wales of the 2025 School Health Research Network (SHRN) Student Health and Well-being Survey shows regular vaping has fallen for the first time since 2019, alongside a further fall in regular smoking.

What has changed?

Across learners in Years 7 to 11, 5.2% reported vaping at least once a week in 2025, down from 7% in 2023. Public Health Wales estimates this represents around 3,200 fewer young people vaping regularly.

Regular smoking fell too. In 2025, 1.8% of learners in Years 7 to 11 reported smoking at least weekly, down from 2.7% in 2023. That equates to around 1,600 fewer young people smoking regularly.

The headline figures

• 5.2% of Years 7 to 11 reported vaping at least weekly, down from 7% in 2023.
• 12.8% of Year 11 learners reported vaping at least weekly, down from 15.9% in 2023.
• 6.6% of girls in Years 7 to 11 reported weekly vaping, compared with 3.7% of boys.
• 1.8% of Years 7 to 11 reported smoking at least weekly, down from 2.7% in 2023.

The 2025 analysis draws on responses from more than 130,000 learners in mainstream secondary schools across Wales.

Good news, with more work still to do

The fall is welcome. Most children and young people in Wales do not vape, and the latest data suggests regular nicotine use is moving in the right direction.

The picture still changes sharply with age. Weekly vaping among Year 11 learners remains substantially higher than the average across Years 7 to 11, and girls continue to report higher weekly vaping than boys.

Public Health Wales notes that the fall has happened during a period of increased public-health activity and policy attention around youth vaping. This includes the ban on single-use vapes introduced in June 2025. Evidence on the impact of individual measures is still emerging, so the latest figures should not be attributed to one intervention alone.

Why prevention still matters

Products, marketing and routes of access continue to change. Schools, youth workers, families and communities need clear information and practical resources that help young people recognise pressure, question marketing and understand nicotine.

That is the thinking behind Nicofiends, ASH Wales’ free bilingual prevention campaign. The activities help young people explore peer pressure, social media, marketing, stress, decision-making and nicotine dependence in ways that can be used across schools, youth groups and community settings.

Our wider resources for schools and young people provide practical support on smoking, vaping, nicotine and newer products.

Keeping the picture under review

Public Health Wales will continue to monitor smoking and vaping through SHRN and other evidence sources to see whether the 2025 fall develops into a sustained downward trend.

For ASH Wales, the latest figures are a positive sign and a reminder to keep prevention work current, practical and rooted in what young people are seeing and experiencing.

Read the official sources:
Public Health Wales: More than 3,000 fewer young people in Wales reporting regular vaping, data shows
Public Health Wales: Vaping and Smoking amongst learners in Year 7 to 11 in Wales