Around 6m adults in the UK smoked cigarettes last year, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). At just under 12 per cent of the population, this represents the lowest proportion of current smokers since records began.
The highest proportion of current smokers was found in the 25-34 age range (14 per cent), while the biggest drop in smoking prevalence was among 18 to 24-year-olds, where the rate has fallen from more than 25 per cent in 2011 to less than 10 per cent. Meanwhile, more than 5m (9.8 per cent) people currently use e-cigarettes either daily or occasionally.
In England, the highest average percentages of smokers by local authority area were in Fenland and Blackpool at 22.1 and 21.3 per cent respectively, with the lowest in St. Albans (5.7 per cent) and Woking (5.3 per cent).
The percentage of smokers in each of the UK countries in 2023 was 13.5 per cent in Scotland, 13.3 per cent in Northern Ireland, 12.6 per cent in Wales and 11.6 per cent in England. Last year in England 13.4 per cent of men smoked compared with 9.9 per cent of women, while the prevalence of adults who were ex-smokers was just over 25 per cent compared to more than 63 per cent who had never smoked.
The tobacco and vapes bill – which aims to progressively increase the age at which people can legally buy cigarettes to create a ‘smoke-free generation’ – was included in this year’s King’s Speech after being shelved by the previous government following the announcement of a summer election.
‘Today’s figures are further proof that the country is ready to be smokefree,’ said ASH chief executive Hazel Cheeseman. ‘There is cross-party support for ending the sale of tobacco and creating a generation free from the harms from smoking and government should bring forward the bill as soon as possible. Despite the progress there is still much to be done. Our poorest communities continue to pay the price for tobacco company profits, as do our public services and economy. Alongside creating a smokefree generation, the government must maintain the commitment of the last government to invest in support to help the 6m people currently smoking to quit.’
Meanwhile, a new briefing paper from the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction (GSTHR) focuses on the UK’s ‘remarkable shift’ from tobacco to vaping. At current rates, the number of adults who smoke will have fallen to just over 10 per cent by next year while the number of vapers will continue to rise – meaning that vaping will overtake smoking for the first time, it says.
‘The fall in smoking rates in the United Kingdom reinforces just how rapidly situations can improve when people already consuming nicotine by smoking can access a safer alternative like vapes,’ said David MacKintosh, director of K·A·C, which runs the GSTHR project. ‘When vaping overtakes smoking next year in the UK, it will not be simply the consequence of a consumer-led revolution, although this has been significant, it will also be the result of successive governments making pragmatic policy decisions based on the evidence in front of them. Maintaining a clear focus on reducing the use of combustible cigarettes provides an opportunity to achieve the ambitious 2030 “smokefree” target.’
Adult smoking habits in the UK: 2023 available here
Smoking profile for England: statistical commentary, October 2024 update available here
A smokefree UK? How research, policy and vapes have cut smoking rates available here