The number of cigarettes smoked in Britain every year has been revealed in a shocking new study from Cancer Research UK and University College London (UCL).
Smokers are getting through an estimated 28.6 billion cigarettes each year on average, equating to 78 million every day.
The study draws on data from the Smoking Toolkit Study between 2022 and 2024. It estimates that adults who smoke consume an average of 10.4 cigarettes daily, with 5.5 per cent of smokers exceeding 20 cigarettes a day
The figures are also broken down by region, showing which areas in the UK have the highest proportion of smokers, and which region has the highest average number of cigarettes smoked.
The data shows that it is the South West that has the highest proportion of smokers at 15 per cent of the adult population. Meanwhile, Scotland and Yorkshire are joint-lowest at 13.3 per cent. Amongst all adults, the average is 13.9 per cent.
However, smokers in southern regions smoke proportionally less cigarettes a year than those in the north and Scotland. Smokers in the North East average 598 cigarettes a year – the highest of any region – while London is the lowest at 423.
The analysis finds that this points to significant inequalities in cigarette consumption, with individuals from more deprived backgrounds smoking an average of 11 cigarettes daily, compared to 9.4 per day among those in wealthier areas.
In light of the figures, charities are calling on the government to speed up its upcoming Tobacco and Vapes Bill which is currently passing through Parliament. The legislation aims to create a ‘smoke-free generation’ by preventing the sale of tobacco products to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009, effectively raising the legal smoking age each year.
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 smoke-free 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.”
