Indicator 3.a.1 - Age-standardized prevalence of current tobacco use among persons aged 15 years and older - U.K. Indicators For The Sustainable Development Goals

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Since September 2023 we have paused the uploading of data reported on this site. However, the hyperlinks for the indicator data sources could be used to see where the data is published and whether newer data will become available in future. You can also find up to date SDG data on the UN SDG website which reports globally comparable data.

Percentage of people who are current cigarette smokers aged 18 years and older

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Download source data for disaggregations (.csv)

Headline data

Percentage of population aged 18 and over who smoke cigarettes
Year	Value	Units	Series	GeoCode	Observation status	Unit multiplier
2021	13.3	Percentage (%)	Percentage of people who are current cigarette smokers aged 18 years and older		Normal value	Units
2020	14.0	Percentage (%)	Percentage of people who are current cigarette smokers aged 18 years and older		Normal value	Units
2019	14.1	Percentage (%)	Percentage of people who are current cigarette smokers aged 18 years and older		Normal value	Units
2018	14.7	Percentage (%)	Percentage of people who are current cigarette smokers aged 18 years and older		Normal value	Units
2017	15.1	Percentage (%)	Percentage of people who are current cigarette smokers aged 18 years and older		Normal value	Units
2016	15.8	Percentage (%)	Percentage of people who are current cigarette smokers aged 18 years and older		Normal value	Units
2015	17.2	Percentage (%)	Percentage of people who are current cigarette smokers aged 18 years and older		Normal value	Units
2014	18.1	Percentage (%)	Percentage of people who are current cigarette smokers aged 18 years and older		Normal value	Units
2013	18.8	Percentage (%)	Percentage of people who are current cigarette smokers aged 18 years and older		Normal value	Units
2012	19.6	Percentage (%)	Percentage of people who are current cigarette smokers aged 18 years and older		Normal value	Units
2011	20.2	Percentage (%)	Percentage of people who are current cigarette smokers aged 18 years and older		Normal value	Units

Source: Office for National Statistics (ONS)

Geographical Area: United Kingdom

Unit of Measurement: Percentage (%)

This table provides metadata for the actual indicator available from UK statistics closest to the corresponding global SDG indicator. Please note that even when the global SDG indicator is fully available from UK statistics, this table should be consulted for information on national methodology and other UK-specific metadata information.

Indicator available	Percentage of people who are current cigarette smokers aged 18 years and older
Indicator description	A measure of people who are current cigarette smokers in relation to all persons aged 18 years and older.
Geographical coverage	United Kingdom
Unit of measurement	Percentage (%)
Definitions	Not available for this indicator
Available disaggregations	Sex; Age; Country; Region; Socio-economic classification; Ethnicity; Country of birth
Calculations	No calculations were performed because the data is readily available in the required format from the source.
Other information	Data for additional disaggregations are available in source 1, including data for smoking prevalence in English counties, smoking prevalence in English Clinical Commissioning Groups and Welsh Local Health Boards, smoking prevalence by economic activity, smoking prevalence by relationship status and smoking prevalence by highest educational attainment. Note that smoking prevalence by economic activity is only for ages 18 to 64. Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, in March 2020, the data collection mode for APS changed from mixed mode (face-to- face, telephone) to telephone only which impacted estimates of the proportion of adults who smoke cigarettes. For more information, see the Adult smoking habits in the UK methodology article. Other sources of smoking data for the devolved administrations include the National Survey for Wales, the Scottish Health Survey and the Health Survey for England. Opinions and Lifestyle Survey data for Adult smoking habits in Great Britain is also available. This indicator is being used as an approximation of the UN SDG Indicator. Where possible, we will work to identify or develop UK data to meet the global indicator specification. This indicator has been identified in collaboration with topic experts.
Data last updated	20 March 2023
Metadata last updated	06 April 2023

This table provides information on metadata for SDG indicators as defined by the UN Statistical Commission. Complete global metadata is provided by the UN Statistics Division.

Indicator name	Age-standardized prevalence of current tobacco use among persons aged 15 years and older
Target name	Strengthen the implementation of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in all countries, as appropriate
UN designated tier	Tier I
UN custodian agency	World Health Organization (WHO), Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)
Link to UN metadata	United Nations Sustainable Development Goals metadata for target 3.a opens in a new window

Organisation	Office for National Statistics (ONS)
Periodicity	Annual
Earliest available data	2011
Geographical coverage	UK
Link to data source	Smoking habits in the UK and its constituent countries opens in a new window
Release date	06 December 2022
Next release	See source link: We plan to update indicator data within 4 months of data being released
Statistical classification	National Statistic
Contact details	health.data@ons.gov.uk
Other information	This data is calculated from the Annual Population Survey (APS). See the ‘Adult Smoking Habits in the UK, 2021 report’ for further details.

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