state of smoking in the United Kingdom

This page was last edited on: June 29, 2022 at 9:38 am

There are about 6.9 million adult smokers in the UK.
The proportion of current adult smokers in the UK[1] has continued to decline since 1974. In 2019, prevalence of smoking in the UK was 14.1%.
Smoking prevalence is marginally higher among men (15.9%) versus women (12.5%).
Smoking prevalence is highest (19.0%) among those between 25 to 34 years.
Northern Ireland has the highest proportion of cigarettes smokers (15.6%), while England has the lowest proportion of cigarettes smokers (13.9%). The proportion of cigarette smokers in Scotland and Wales are 15.4% and 15.5% respectively.
62.5% of those in Great Britain[2] who have ‘ever smoked’ cigarettes had quit as of 2019, which is significantly higher than 26.7% as of 1974.
In 2019, the proportion of current e-cigarette users in Great Britain was 5.7% (considerably higher than the 3.7% reported in 2014 when data collection began).
In 2020, 27.2% of adults used vaping products in a quit attempt in the previous 12 months, compared to 15.5% using NRT.

In 2019, 2.8 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), and 124,908 deaths could be attributable to tobacco use in UK.
A report by the International Longevity Centre UK showed that “if current/ex-smokers had never smoked, the difference in the equivalent rates of economic activity would boost the UK economy by £19.1 billion a year or 1.9% of earnings.”

UK signed and ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) in 2004. Since then, the UK is considered to have ‘completed’ measures linked to monitoring tobacco use, developing health warnings, mass media, taxation and smoke-free environments and has ‘moderately’ completed measures for cessation programs and advertising bans.
UK has the highest rate of taxation on cigarettes compared to other European countries, with 16.5% of the retail price plus £5.26 on a packet of 20.
The legal age to buy and use vaping products in the UK is 18 years.
In 2013, UK government decided that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for regulating nicotine-containing products (NCPs), such as e-cigarettes, as medicinal products in UK.
In Oct 2021, the MHRA published an updated “Guidance for licensing electronic cigarettes and other inhaled nicotine-containing products as medicines”.

[1] The data of UK comprises four constituent countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

[2] The data of Great Britain comprises three constituent countries: England, Scotland, and Wales.

As research findings become available that are inclusive of additional gender identities, the Foundation will update the information presented.