UK ‘is ready to be smokefree’ as smoking rates continue to fall

Official smoking data published in October 2024, revealed smoking rates are 11.6 per cent, the lowest on record, equating to six million adult smokers in the UK.

The most rapid progress has been among the youngest age groups, with smoking falling from 25.7 per cent in 2011 to 9.8 per cent in 2023 among 18 to 24-year-olds.

The news comes as the Labour government plans to propose its version of the Conservatives' plan to phase out the sale of tobacco to the next generation. This would mean that individuals born before 2009 will never legally be sold tobacco.

Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of public health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), said, “These 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.”