Coming soon, ONS data on adult smoking habits 2023

The latest Office for National Statistics' data about adult smoking (and vaping) habits in the UK will be published on October 1.

The data for 2022 - including the smoking rate - was released on September 5 last year and according to the ONS:

In 2022, 12.9% of people in the UK aged 18 years and over, or around 6.4 million people, smoked cigarettes.

Of the constituent countries, the lowest proportion of current smokers was in England (12.7%); Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland reported 14.1%, 14.0% and 13.9%, respectively.

In the UK, 14.6% of men smoked compared with 11.2% of women.

People aged 25 to 34 years had the highest proportion of current smokers in the UK (16.3%); those aged 65 years and over had the lowest (8.3%) in 2022.

In Great Britain, 8.7% of Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN) respondents, or around 4.5 million adults, said they currently used an e-cigarette daily or occasionally; this is an increase from 2021 where 7.7% of people reported daily or occasional e-cigarette use.

E-cigarette use was highest among those aged 16 to 24 years in Great Britain; the percentage of people in this age of group who were daily or occasional vapers in 2022 has increased to 15.5% compared with 11.1% in 2021.

It will be interesting to see if and how the latest figures are used or even manipulated by government to drive Keir Starmer's anti-smoking policies.

If, for example, the decline in the smoking rate shows signs of stalling, will this encourage the Government to go harder, faster, to reduce the number of adult smokers more quickly?

Alternatively, if the smoking rate continues to fall in line with recent trends, will the Government be emboldened to say the 2030 'smoke free' target is in sight, so let's go harder, faster, to achieve it?

And how will they react to the latest figures on e-cigarette use?

Anything is possible. Either way, I'm sure that ministers will try to spin the data to suit their agenda. In the meantime, watch this space.

PS. By coincidence, October 1 is Hazel Cheeseman's first day as chief executive of ASH. Fancy that!