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New data has shown a steep decline in the smoking rates of young adults in the UK over the past decade, while vaping continues to rise.
Fewer than one in 10 (9.8%) young adults in the UK currently smoke cigarettes, the data found. This is a steep decline from records 12 years ago, which found that a quarter of 18 to 24-year-olds were smokers.
In addition, only 11.9% of UK adults smoked cigarettes in 2023 – down from 20% in 2011, and the lowest level since the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) records began in 2011.
The ONS figures found the percentage of adults who smoked across the UK in 2023 was:
- England – 11.6%
- Wales – 12.6%
- Scotland – 13.5% in
- Northern Ireland – 13.3%.
The data also found that vaping continues to rise, with a 9.8% of adults aged 16 and over (5.1 million) vaping in 2023. Vaping rates were highest amongst 16 to 24-year-olds, with 15.8% using vapes either daily or occasionally according to the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN).
This comes after recent research found vaping to be just as harmful as smoking tobacco when it comes to the health of young people.
‘Much to be done’
Hazel Cheeseman chief executive of public health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH). Following the release of this data, she said: ‘Today’s figures are further proof that the country is ready to be smoke-free.
‘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 six million people currently smoking to quit.’
This follow’s the King’s confirmation that the Labour government will reintroduce former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which would implement a smoking ban.
In response to the increasing vaping rates, 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.’
UK smoking ban
Sunak first proposed the Tobacco and Vapes Bill in autumn 2023, which would raise the legal smoking age by one year annually. This would effectively ban smoking for anyone born in 2009 or later.
It also included provisions to reduce youth vaping, such as the regulation of the flavours, contents and packaging of vaping products.
The Labour government is due to reintroduce this bill to parliament. Leaked Whitehall documents also revealed that the government could be considering banning smoking in a number of open-air spaces, including pub gardens and outside restaurants.
As a result, while health experts have reportedly welcomed the leaked proposals, some ministers have voiced their concerns about the impact on the hospitality sector.
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