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The number of adults in England who smoke has fallen to fewer than one in 10 for the first time on record, according to the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

The proportion of smokers fell to 9.5 per cent last year from 10.4 per cent in 2024, the DHSC said, citing data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Records began in the UK in 1974 and the ONS has been collecting data since 2011.

The DHSC said the latest figures showed the smoking rate has more than halved since 2011 “following sustained national and local action to help people quit”. 

In the UK, about 4.9 million adults or 9.8 per cent of the population smoked in 2025, down from 10.6 per cent in 2024.

The 45 to 54-year-old group had the highest proportion of current smokers with 12.4 per cent while 18 to 24-year-olds have had the largest reduction in smoking prevalence among all age groups between 2011 and 2025.

“Record investment is expanding evidence-based support through local services, the NHS and national campaigns,” the DHSC said.

“Landmark legislation tackles the supply, promotion and availability of tobacco and nicotine products.”

From January 1, 2027, it will be illegal to sell tobacco products to anyone born on or after January 1, 2009.

The DHSC said: “An additional £260 million over the next three years means at least £153 million a year is ringfenced for local stop smoking services, targeted particularly at communities where prevalence is highest.”

It said local services helped over 141,000 people successfully stop smoking in the last 12 months, while there were over a quarter of a million quit attempts.

The DHSC also said smoking in pregnancy is at a “record low” after falling to 4.2 per cent this year compared with 10.6 per cent 10 years ago.

There is a national community pharmacy smoking cessation service in England for patients who have started a quit attempt in hospital and want to continue with a community pharmacy of their choice.

However, according to the NHS Business Services Authority, less than five per cent of pharmacies receive referrals from this service, prompting the Company Chemists’ Association (CCA) to claim in February this year that the service is “vastly underused”.

Just 11,728 pharmacy consultations took place between April 2024 and March 2025 through the service. The CCA has repeatedly called for a nationally commissioned community pharmacy smoking cessation service.

The ONS data for 2025 also showed there were 5.4 million vapers in the UK compared with 4.8 million smokers.

Around 1.1 million people who had never smoked were using an e-cigarette daily or occasionally, up from 940,000 in 2024.