New Government smoking figures reveal young adults have seen biggest falls in smoking rates over the last decade

New official smoking statistics published this morning [1] show smoking rates continue to fall. Overall, smoking rates are 11.6%, the lowest on record, equating to 6.0 million adult smokers in the UK. However, the most rapid progress has been among the youngest age groups, with smoking falling from 25.7% in 2011 to 9.8% in 2023 among 18–24-year-olds.

The news comes as the Labour government plans to table their version of the Conservative’s plans to phase out the sale of tobacco to the next generation so that those born before 2009 will never legally be sold tobacco.

Progress is being made across the country, but those in more disadvantaged groups still have the highest rates of smoking — causing major inequalities in life expectancy and reducing their income while they live. Smoking rates among those in ‘routine and manual’ jobs are 2.6 times the level of those in managerial positions.

Hazel Cheeseman, Chief Executive of public health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), said:
“Today’s figures are further proof that the country is ready to be smokefree. 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 6 million people currently smoking to quit.”

New government data also tracks rates of vaping. This uses a different survey from smoking rates and covers GB rather than UK population. Overall, this is up from 8.7% in 2022 to 9.8% in 2023. The group with the highest levels of vaping are among 16–24-year-olds at 15.8%; however, this has not increased compared to 2022. The ONS does report a doubling of the proportion of people who have never smoked that vape daily, from 0.6% to 1.2%.

Prof Nick Hopkinson, respiratory physician and chair of ASH, said:
“Vaping has helped millions of adults quit smoking and is much less harmful than smoking. However, it is not risk-free and high levels of use among young people and growing use among never smokers is a concern. The government must get its Tobacco and Vapes Bill into law as soon as possible, to provide a tough regulatory framework to control the marketing and sale of e-cigarettes. We need to reinforce the role of vaping as a tool to stop smoking, not a lifestyle accessory.”

ENDS

Notes to the Editor
Action on Smoking and Health is a health charity working to eliminate the harm caused by tobacco use. For more information see: ash.org.uk. ASH receives funding for its programme of work from Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation.

Contact: press@ash.org.uk. Hazel Cheeseman, Chief Executive, is available for media interviews.

References
[1] ONS, Smoking Statistics, 2023: https://www.ons.gov.uk/releases/adultsmokinghabitsintheuk2023