England - smoking rate falls again...

October 1, 2009 - Twenty one (21) percent of English adults reported smoking in 2007, down from 22 per cent in 2006 and 39 per cent in 1980, according to a report issued on Tuesday by the
There was little difference between the reported smoking rates of men (22 percent) and women (19 percent) for 2007, but smoking rates varied considerably when broken down by age group, with the highest rate (32 percent) being recorded for the 20-24 group and the lowest (12 percent) for the over 60s.


On average, smokers consumed 13.1 cigarettes a day.

Key facts
* In 2007, 21 per cent of adults aged 16 and over in England reported smoking, compared with 22 per cent in 2006 and 39 per cent in 1980. As with previous years men are more likely to smoke than women (22 per cent compared with 19 per cent).
* Almost a third of pupils (32 per cent) aged 11 to 15 in England in 2008 reported having tried smoking at least once and 6 per cent were regular smokers (smoking at least one cigarette a week). Girls were more likely to smoke than boys; 11 per cent of girls have smoked in the last week compared with 8 per cent of boys.
* Around two thirds (69 per cent) of adults aged 16 and over in Great Britain in 2008/09 reported that they do not allow smoking at all in their home, an increase from 61 per cent in 2006. Four in five people (81 per cent) agree with the smoking ban in public places.
* Around 440,900 hospital admissions among adults aged 35 and over in England in 2007/08 are estimated to be attributable to smoking. This accounts for 5 per cent of all hospital admissions in this age group.
* Around 83,900 deaths (18 per cent of all deaths of adults aged 35 and over) in England in 2008 were estimated to be caused by smoking.

Reference: Statistics on Smoking, England 2009, The Information Center, NHS, 9/29/2009.