Number of cigarette smokers in Britain falls significantly

LONDON - The number of cigarette smokers in Britain has fallen significantly in the past year, but 7.4 million people are still lighting up, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) revealed Tuesday.

The ONS data shows 15.1 percent of adults now smoke, compared with 15.8 percent a year earlier, with differences across the four parts of the country. The survey also shows that 17 percent of men and 13.3 percent of women smoke.

Of the constituent areas, 14.9 percent of adults, around 6.1 million,in England smoke, 16.1 percent in Wales, 16.3 percent in Scotland and 16.5 percent in Northern Ireland.

ONS said 25 to 35-year olds had the highest proportion of current smokers, at 19.7 percent. Meanwhile, since 2011, the largest fall in smoking prevalence has been among 18- to 24-year olds.

Just over 1 in 4 (25.9 percent) of people in Britain employed in routine and manual occupations smoke, compared with just 1 in 10 people (10.2 percent) in managerial and professional occupations.

ONS said 60.8 percent of people aged 16 years and above who currently smoke said they wanted to quit, based on estimates from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey.

Around the country, the northern England seaside resort of Blackpool has consistently featured in the ten local authorities with the highest smoking prevalence. This trend continued into 2017, with 22.3 percent of Blackpool's population reporting they smoked. Both Hastings and the City of Kingston upon Hull have also featured in this group for the third consecutive year, with 22.2 percent and 23.1 percent of the populations reporting they smoked, respectively.

Chiltern in England has featured in the ten local authorities with the lowest prevalence for the fourth consecutive year with 6.4 percent reporting they smoked in 2017.

ONS said the proportion of smokers who have quit is at one of the highest levels to date.

Meanwhile ONS said there are now approximately 2.8 million "vapers" in Great Britain, with 5.5 percent of people reporting they used an e-cigarette in 2017.