More than 78 million cigarettes are smoked in England, Wales and Scotland every day, translating to about 900 being lit up every second, according to a new study from UCL researchers.
The study, published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research and funded by Cancer Research UK, looked at monthly Smoking Toolkit Study data between 2022 and 2024 to calculate the most up-to-date smoking trends in Great Britain (that is, across England, Wales and Scotland).
The research found that:
- There are stark inequalities in cigarette consumption – smokers from lower socioeconomic backgrounds consumed an average of 11 cigarettes per day, compared with smokers from higher socioeconomic backgrounds, who smoked 9.4 per day
- Daily smoking trends also vary regionally – smokers in the North East and Scotland smoke the most cigarettes per day on average (11.7 each), while those in London and the South West smoke the fewest (8.4 and 9.5).
- Since the Tobacco and Vapes Bill was reintroduced into the House of Commons on 5 November 2024, around 20 billion cigarettes have been smoked across Britain.
Lead author Dr Sarah Jackson (UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care) said: “Tackling smoking is not just about preventing uptake among future generations. Supporting the six million people in the UK who currently smoke cigarettes to quit will have major benefits for public health and for the environment.
“Despite declining smoking rates, over 28 billion cigarettes are still consumed in Great Britain each year, generating up to 140,000 metric tons of toxic, non-biodegradable waste annually. Reducing cigarette consumption, particularly in the most affected regions and communities, is critical not only to save lives and narrow health inequalities, but also to protect our environment from one of the most pervasive forms of plastic pollution.”
Smoking remains the biggest cause of cancer and premature death in the UK. It causes more than 100 cancer deaths every day, and according to Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), smoking-related illness costs the NHS around £1.8 billion every year in England alone.
UK smoking rates have declined from 18.8% in 2013 to 11.9% in 2023. However, projections indicate that if current trends continue, England will not reach its smokefree target of 5% smoking prevalence until 2039, while the ambition is 2030. Wales and Northern Ireland won’t reach this until the early 2040s, and Scotland not until the late 2040s.
Cancer Research UK urged governments in all UK nations to remain steadfast in their commitment to achieve a smokefree future.
Cancer Research UK’s executive director of policy, Dr Ian Walker, said: “While great strides have been made to bring down smoking rates, we can’t afford to be complacent. Every week, around 550 million cigarettes are still smoked in Britain – that’s enough to fill an Olympic sized swimming pool. It’s vital that everyone, wherever they live, can access the support they need to quit smoking for good.
“The Tobacco and Vapes Bill is a historic opportunity to help stub out the harms of smoking, but it’s frustrating that the legislation isn’t progressing through Parliament as quickly as it should be.
“Tobacco is a toxic product that should have no place in our future, and I urge all parliamentarians to back a smokefree UK and prioritise this Bill when it returns to the House of Lords. This world-leading legislation has strong political and public support that can’t be ignored.”
LinksImageMedia contactMark Greaves
m.greaves [at] ucl.ac.uk