4 days ago
Britons puff over 78 MILLION cigarettes every day, shock study finds - is YOUR area a hotspot?
Smokers puff over 78million cigarettes every single day in the UK, concerning research has suggested.
Studies have long shown smoking rates across Britain as a whole have crashed to an all-time low.
But now, researchers in London, who assessed the smoking habits of almost 80,000 Britons, found smokers still had 10 cigarettes per day on average in 2024.
In the worst affected parts of the UK, this rose to 12.
And each smoker on average consumed roughly 528 cigarettes every year—28.6 billion per year nationally, the equivalent of 78million per day.
Experts warned that the 'staggering figure' is a 'stark reminder of the deadly toll of inaction'.
Cancer Research UK, which funded the study, also urged the Government 'not to be complacent' in continuing the fight to reduce tobacco rates.
Experts have long said the introduction of modern anti-smoking laws, such as selling cigarettes in plain packaging, are behind the fall in smokers.
Other tough measures deployed in the past two decades include slapping graphic warning labels depicting their damaging health effects on all tobacco and banning smoking in restaurants, pubs and nightclubs.
Dr Ian Walker, executive director of policy at Cancer Research UK, 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.'
Dr Sarah Jackson, research fellow at UCL's Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care, added: 'Tackling smoking is not just about preventing uptake among future generations.
'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 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.'
The 77,796 smokers involved in the University College London study were quizzed on their habits—including cigarette consumption and the type of tobacco smoked between 2022 and 2024.
They found adults who smoked, consumed an average of 10.4 cigarettes per day, with 5.5 per cent of those smoking more than 20 a day.
Researchers also found people in the North East and Scotland smoked the most—11.7 each—while people in London and the South West smoked the least, with 8.4 and 9.5 cigarettes respectively.
Writing in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research, they added: 'Our findings indicate that adults from less advantaged backgrounds who smoke, consumed an average of 11 cigarettes per day, compared with 9.4 per day among those who were more advantaged.
'They were also more likely to smoke heavily, with 6.1 per cent versus 4.6 per cent reporting that they smoked more than 20 cigarettes per day.'
Experts also warned that England could struggle to meet its smoke free target of 5 per cent by 2030 if current trends continue.
Dr Walker said the Tobacco and Vapes Bill was 'a historic opportunity to help stub out the harms of smoking' but it was frustrating that the legislation 'isn't progressing through Parliament as quickly as it should be'.
The legislation—which cleared the House of Commons in March—will prevent anyone born on or after January 1 2009 from legally smoking if it becomes law.
It is set to undergo further scrutiny in the House of Lords.
Reacting to the study, Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health (Ash), also said: 'Since Parliament last debated the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, an estimated 6.7 billion cigarettes have been smoked in the UK.
'That staggering figure is a stark reminder of the deadly toll of inaction.
'Every day that passes without this legislation is a day lost in protecting our children from addiction and improving public health.
'We urge the Government to make this Bill a priority immediately after summer recess. The country cannot afford further delay—this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create a smoke free future, and it must not be squandered.'
Smoking kills around 78,000 people in the UK every year, with many more living with illnesses due to their habit—half of which are due to cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attack and stroke.
It is estimated that around 500,000 hospital admissions every year in England are attributable to smoking and that smoking costs the economy £17billion per year.
The 7,000 chemicals in tobacco—including tar and others that can narrow arteries and damage blood vessels—are thought to be behind some of the damage smoking inflicts on the heart.
Meanwhile, nicotine—a highly addictive toxin found in tobacco—is heavily linked with dangerous increases in heart rate and blood pressure.
