Smoking rates at record low, pharmacies seek funding to turbocharge reduction

Community pharmacies urge the government to reverse cuts to local public health budgets and invest in stop smoking services

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has released new data revealing that adult smoking rates in the UK have fallen to their lowest levels on record.

In 2023, only 11.9 per cent of adults aged 18 and over—approximately 6 million people—reported smoking cigarettes, marking the lowest proportion of smokers since the Annual Population Survey (APS) began in 2011.

Since 2011, the proportion of smokers has decreased by 8.3 percentage points from 20.2 per cent.

However, this change was not statistically significant when compared to the previous year’s rates, which was 12.9 per cent in 2022.

Among age groups, those aged 25 to 34 years had the highest smoking prevalence at 14.0 per cent in 2023.

Notably, the 18 to 24 age group experienced the largest reduction in smoking rates, dropping by 15.9 percentage points from 25.7 per cent in 2011 to 9.8per cent in 2023.

Commenting on the new ONS statistics, Paul Rees, CEO of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), highlighted the importance of community pharmacies in combating smoking.

"For decades, community pharmacies across the UK have been instrumental in the fight against smoking. Through their locally commissioned services they have supported hundreds of thousands of people to help quit.

"It is good to see a reduction in levels of smoking. Smoking still remains of the biggest causes of ill health in our communities,” he said.

Rees noted, however, that cuts to local public health budgets by the central government have resulted in the decommissioning of some vital stop smoking services in community pharmacies.

"If we are to turbocharge this reduction in the rates of smoking, we need to reverse these cuts and invest in these services in our community pharmacies.

"Pharmacies should also be able to provide a nationally commissioned walk in smoking cessation service, which would end the postcode lottery for accessing support,” he said.

Rise in e-cigarette use

In contrast, e-cigarette use in Great Britain has risen, as indicated by the ONS data.

In 2023, around 5.1 million adults aged 16 and over (9.8 per cent) in Great Britain reported using e-cigarettes either daily or occasionally, based on the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN).

Daily e-cigarette usage among this demographic rose to 5.9 per cent, up from 5.2 per cent in 2022, while occasional use increased to 3.9 per cent, compared to 3.5per cent the previous year.

E-cigarette use was notably high among younger individuals, with 15.8 per cent of those aged 16 to 24 using them either daily or occasionally.

Regional variations in smoking prevalence were observed: 11.6 per cent in England, 12.6 per cent in Wales, 13.5 per cent in Scotland, and 13.3per cent in Northern Ireland.

Men continued to smoke more than women, with 13.7 per cent of men (approximately 3.4 million) and 10.1 per cent of women (around 2.6 million) identifying as current smokers in 2023.

The data also revealed disparities in smoking prevalence based on economic status.  Unemployed individuals had a higher proportion of current smokers (19.7 per cent), compared with those in paid employment (11.4 per cent) and those classified economically inactive (12.2 per cent).

Additionally, smoking rates were notably higher in routine and manual occupations (20.2 per cent) compared to managerial and professional roles (7.9 per cent).