Overview of Smoking and Population
Overview of Smoking and Population
Last activity on January 15, 2025
Smoking and the Population
- In 2022, the smoking prevalence among adults aged 18 years or older in England was 12.9% (6.4 million people). In July 2019, the Government stated its ambition of going “smoke-free” by 2030 in England
- Prevalence differs according to age, socio-economic group and ethnicity.
- The number of smokers in England is falling every year.
- Smoking is declining at the same rate across all socio-economic groups; although until very recently the drop in smoking rates among lower-income groups was much slower.
- England has the lowest proportion of current smokers with 12.7%, or 5.3 million people.
- In the UK, 14.6% of men smoke compared with 11.2% of women.
- People aged 25 to 34 years had the highest proportion of current smokers in the UK (16.3%); those aged 65 years and over had the lowest (8.3%) in 2022.
- In 2022, when looking at smoking prevalence by economic activity in the UK, those who were defined as unemployed had a higher proportion of current smokers (20.5%), compared with those who were in paid employment (12.7%).
- Routine and manual groups were seen to have higher smoking rates (22.8%) when compared to managerial and professional occupations (8.3%).
- People with mental health conditions are more likely to smoke and smoking rates increase with the severity of illness.
- In 2022 to 2023, the prevalence of self-reported current smoking (aged 18 and over) for those with a long-term mental health condition in England was 25.0%.
It is important to have an understanding of smoking demographics and prevalence as it helps when it comes to understanding a smoker’s chances of quitting and tailoring the way you interact with them.
National Centre for Smoking Cessation and Training. Assessment of core knowledge and key practice skills- January 2023.
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