Adult smoking habits in the UK - 2023

4th October 2024

Around 6.0 million people aged 18 years and over (11.9%) smoked cigarettes in the UK in 2023; this is the lowest proportion of current smokers since records began in 2011, based on our estimates from the Annual Population Survey (APS).

Those aged 25 to 34 years had the highest proportion of current smokers (14.0%) in the UK in 2023.

Those aged 18 to 24 years have had the largest reduction in smoking prevalence (15.9 percentage points) between 2011 (25.7%) and 2023 (9.8%).

Around 5.1 million adults aged 16 years and over (9.8%) currently use an e-cigarette daily or occasionally in Great Britain in 2023, based on the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN).
E-cigarette use was highest among people aged 16 to 24 years in Great Britain, with 15.8% using e-cigarettes either daily or occasionally.

Smoking in the UK and constituent countries
The Annual Population Survey (APS) gives headline indicators on the number of adults aged 18 years and over who smoke in the UK. In this survey, a smoker is defined as someone who smokes nowadays.

The estimated proportion of people who smoke in the UK has been falling since Annual Population Survey (APS) records began in 2011.

In 2023, 11.9% of adults aged 18 years or over (6.0 million people) were current smokers, according to APS data.

This is a decrease from 2022 (12.9% of the population), although not a statistically significant one. An increase or decrease is statistically significant if it is likely that chance, or the variable nature of the samples, did not cause it. However, this decrease follows a long-term downward trend. The proportion of current smokers has fallen by 8.3 percentage points since 2011 (20.2% of the population).

The APS provides the official measure of smoking prevalence in England. It is used to monitor progress towards the UK government's target of achieving a smokefree England by 2030, with smoking prevalence at 5% or lower.

Smoking in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
In the UK in 2023, as shown in Figure 1, the percentage of adult smokers in:

England was 11.6%
Wales was 12.6%
Scotland was 13.5%
Northern Ireland was 13.3%

Read the full ONS report HERE