8.5% of people aged 18 and over in Barnet were smoking cigarettes between 2020 and 2024 reports Clara Margotin, Data Reporter

Smoker cupping a lighter in two hands as they attempt to light a cigarette — Across the UK around 11.8% of adults were smoking cigarettes between 2020 and 2024 – (Credit – Radar)

The proportion of adults smoking cigarettes in Barnet was lower than the average across the UK these past few years, new figures suggest.

It comes as the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which would reform the supply of cigarettes and vapes including by outlawing the sale of tobacco to people born on or after 1 January 2009, is currently in Parliament for review.

Public health charity Action on Smoking and Health warned “the bill alone won’t be enough”, adding the government must develop evidence-based policies and increase funding to significantly reduce the proportion of adults who smoke across the country.

New estimates from the Office for National Statistics’ Annual Population Survey show 8.5% of people aged 18 and over in Barnet were smoking cigarettes between 2020 and 2024.

It was down slightly from 9% during the previous five-year period between 2019 and 2023.

Across the UK around 11.8% of adults were smoking cigarettes between 2020 and 2024, marking a slight decrease from 12.5% in 2019 to 2023.

The local authorities with the highest average percentage of smokers were Fenland in Cambridgeshire with 19.8%, followed by Blackpool in Lancashire with 19.7%.

Meanwhile the areas where the average was the lowest were Woking at 4.2% and Epsom and Ewell at 4.8%, both in Surrey.

The Annual Population Survey helps the ONS track adult smoking habits across the UK. It is the official measure of smoking prevalence in England and is used to monitor progress towards the smoke-free generation goal outlined in the Government’s 10 Year Health Plan for England.

The ONS said while rolling five-year estimates are more accurate to depict local smoking prevalence, yearly figures can be used to make comparisons at the national level.

The data suggest about 10.6% (5.3 million) of adults were smoking in the UK in 2024 alone, the lowest proportion since comparable records began in 2011.

Those aged 25 to 34 years continued to have the highest proportion of smokers, at 12.6%, while those aged 65 and over had the smallest, at 7.1%.

The proportion of adults smoking has significantly decreased across the UK since ONS records began, from 20.2% in 2011.

People aged 18 to 24 years saw the largest reduction in smoking prevalence between 2011 and 2024, falling 17.6 percentage points from 25.7% to 8.1%.

Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of ASH, welcomed the declining trend in smoking across the country which she called “an achievement”.

She said: “We have sustained progress because of a long-term commitment to comprehensive tobacco control, including support to help people quit.

“The creation of smokefree generation through the Tobacco and Vapes Bill is the next important regulatory step to ending the harms from smoking in this country.”

But she warned: “However, the bill alone won’t be enough.

“Behind the statistic of five million people still smoking are individuals trapped in a cycle of addiction that will likely take their lives.

“The cost of this is felt across the economy and places a significant burden on our NHS.”

She said the government should “accelerate progress, invest in what works, and support communities where smoking rates remain high” if it wants to significantly reduce smoking rates in the long run.

“We need a new strategy, alongside the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, with clear targets and renewed ambition,” she added.

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Stopping smoking is one of the most important things to improve health and this data shows our action to help people quit is working.

“In addition to our existing campaigns, we will continue to invest in stop smoking services to drive down rates.

“Our landmark Tobacco and Vapes Bill will put an end to the cycle of addiction and disadvantage by creating the first smoke-free generation and stopping the next generation from getting hooked on nicotine.”

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