Smoking is becoming less popular in the UK as health messages continue to take effect with each new generation (vaping is a different issue, however, with rates increasing). About one out of every eight people in the UK smokes (11.9%). The chance that a person is a smoker has been going down ever since 1974, when records began in the UK.
Despite the decline, the UK continues to show regional disparities, with Slough identified as the area in England quitting smoking the most, based on smoking prevalence between 2018 and 2023.
Stockton-on-Tees takes second on the list, with Rutland in third. In contrast the London Borough of Ealing is the area where smoking prevalence has increased the most.
The study comes from the online vape retailer Vapekit, who will have some interest in the decline in conventional cigarette, pipe and cigar smoking. The company analysed the latest data available from the UK Office for Health Improvement & Disparities to see which areas of England had the most significant change in smoking prevalence in the last five years, between 2018 and 2023.
The top ten England areas quitting smoking the most:
- Slough
- Stockton-on-Tees
- Rutland
- Brent
- Sutton
- Gateshead
- Redbridge
- Greenwich
- Hackney
- Knowsley
As indicated above, the review found that the Berkshire area of Slough is where people are quitting smoking the most. In 2018, it had a smoking prevalence of 21.26%, and this has dropped to 8.3% in 2023, which is a drop of 60.95%.
The County Durham area of Stockton-On-Tees takes second place on the list. In 2018, smoking prevalence for adults was 16.44%, and in 2023, it decreased to 6.97%, a drop of 57.59%. Rutland comes in third place. It had a smoking prevalence of 10.76% in 2018, and this has dropped by 57.49%, now sitting at 4.57% in 2023.
The London area of Brent takes fourth place on the list. In 2018, smoking prevalence was 17.13% for adults over 18, the highest it had been in the years studied. In 2023, this decreased to only 8.18%, a drop of 52.24%. Another London area, Sutton, comes in fifth. In 2018, the smoking prevalence was 14.06%, but this decreased to just 6.85% in 2023, a drop of 51.26%.
Increases in smoking rates
The areas where smoking has increased the most are:
- Ealing
- Croydon
- Harrow
- Camden
- Merton
- Bracknell Forest
- Westminster
- Windsor and Maidenhead
- Buckinghamshire UA
- Middlesbrough
Ealing, located in Greater London, comes out as the area with the most significant increase in smoking. 2018’s smoking prevalence was 9.17%, which has increased to 22.31% in 2023, and this is a whopping 143.44% increase.
Overall, the data is encouraging. Those who smoke increase their risk of developing heart disease and having a heart attack. Individuals are also more likely to have a stroke and develop peripheral arterial disease.
