Which parts of the UK have the most smokers?

7 December 2022, 13:25

A man smoking a cigarette — Smoking is at an all time low nationally, but in some places it's increased. Picture: PA

By James Hockaday

The proportion of smokers in the UK has fallen to its lowest level on record, with vaping credited for playing a “major role” in this drop.

New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show 13.3% of people aged 18 and over in the UK smoked cigarettes in 2021, the equivalent of around 6.6 million people.

This is the lowest proportion of current smokers since records started in 2011, when it stood at 20.2%, but when you break the data down by regions, towns and cities, some places are more persistent than others.

Fenland, in Cambridgeshire, has the highest proportion of smokers in the country, with an estimated 27.8% of its residents aged 18 and over believed to be smokers in 2021.

Worryingly, this is actually up from 2020, when the number stood at 22.8%. Surprisingly, this trend applies to a number of other areas, despite the nationwide drop in smoking.

Hastings saw the proportion of smokers rise from 17% to 25.8% in a year, while in Mansfield, it went up from 22.2% to 24.8%.

On the other end of the scale, Oadby and Wigston in Leicestershire had the lowest proportion of current smokers, with just 3.2% of the population regularly lighting up, compared to 13.1% in 2020, marking a dramatic fall.

Vaping In London — Vaping has been credited with playing a "major role" in getting people to quit. Picture: Getty Images. Picture: Getty

West Oxfordshire's share of smokers fell from 12.1% to 3.7%, while the Surrey borough of Waverley's dropped from 9.1% to 4.4%.

The highest proportion of current smokers in 2021 was in Scotland at 14.8%, with the lowest in England at 13.0%. Wales and Northern Ireland reported 14.1% and 13.8% current smokers respectively, the ONS said.

The ONS has said that vaping devices such as e-cigarettes had played a major role in the national 6.9 percentage point decrease in smokers compared with 2011.

It said that 7.7% of those aged 16 and over surveyed in August and September last year said they currently used an e-cigarette, either daily or occasionally, equating to around four million adults. This is up from the 6.4% reported in 2020.

The ONS said the proportion of vapers was highest among current cigarette smokers (25.3%) and ex-cigarette smokers (15.0%), with only 1.5% of people who have never smoked reporting that they currently vape.

But it added that policies associated with the government's tobacco control plan for England, such as increased public awareness campaigns and smoke free places, may have also contributed to decreased smoking prevalence.

Men were more likely to be current smokers in 2021, with 15.1% of men smoking compared with 11.5% of women in the UK, according to the ONS.

People aged 25 to 34 years had the highest proportion of current smokers at 15.8%, the ONS said, while those aged 65 and over had the lowest at 8.0%.

The ONS said that people who had no qualifications were more likely to be current smokers at 28.2% compared to those whose highest level of education was a degree or equivalent at 6.6%.

Hazel Cheeseman, deputy chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) welcomed the drop but warned the Government must not get “complacent”.

She said: “Smoking is still the biggest cause of preventable illness and death so the progress shown today is great news. But Government must not be complacent.

“They first promised to publish a new tobacco control plan for England in 2021 but we still have seen no plan for how they will meet that goal. Without one we will not meet the vision of being smoke free by 2030.”

Which places in the UK have the most smokers?

This list is ranked from highest to lowest, showing name of local authority; estimated proportion of people aged 18 and over who were smokers in 2021, and estimated proportion (in brackets) of adult smokers in 2020.