Smoking Profile
Introduction
The smoking profiles provides information on the extent of:
- smoking
- smoking-attributable harm
- measures being taken to reduce this harm at a local level
The aim of these profiles is to assess the effect of smoking on local populations. Local government and health services can use this information to inform commissioning and planning decisions to tackle smoking and improve the health of local communities.
The tool allows users to compare a local authority against other local authorities in the region and benchmark a local authority against the England or regional average.
Latest statistical commentaries
These are links to the most recent statistical commentaries for updates to the Smoking Profile:
Smoking profile commentary: July 2026
Smoking profile commentary: November 2025
Information on previous releases can be found here: Smoking profile - GOV.UK
Changes: Fingertips smoking profile
In June 2025, we asked users for their views on specific changes we planned to make to the profile based on responses we received to the health and social care statistical outputs consultation. These changes will be made in future updates. In summary this will include:
- updating the 'smoking quitters' domain to reflect recent changes in stop smoking services data and relevant policy developments, including the Smokefree Generation work. As set out in the consultation, this will involve adding new indicators, removing outdated ones, and renaming existing indicators to improve clarity for users
- archiving of indicators which were added because of COVID-19, where a more appropriate indicator is now available, or for which data is no longer being updated. Along with the APS, smoking prevalence indicators based on GPPS and QOF will continue to be updated
- current low response rates for the APS mean that providing local authority level prevalence data by socioeconomic group and housing tenure is no longer robust when based on single years of the survey. In future, these inequality breakdowns for LAs will therefore be based on the 3-year APS prevalence data.
Recent updates
July 2026
The following indicators have been updated:
- smoking-attributable mortality
- smoking-attributable deaths from cancer
- smoking-attributable deaths from heart disease
- smoking-attributable deaths from stroke
- smoking-attributable hospital admissions
The following new indicator has been added:
- proportion of local smoking population referred to stop smoking services
Regional data has been added for:
- smoking prevalence age 15 years, regular smokers (SDD)
- smoking prevalence age 15 years, occasional smokers (SDD)
- regular e-cigarette users, 15-year-olds (SDD)
- have ever used e-cigarettes, 15-year-olds (SDD)
- current smokers by age, ethnicity, country of birth, religion (APS)
- ex-smokers by age, ethnicity (APS)
- never smokers by age, ethnicity (APS)
A statistical commentary for this update can be found on GOV.UK
Correction notice (3 March 2026)
An error has been identified in the regional totals for 2019/20 data for the following indicators:
- smoking prevalence in adults (aged 18 and over) admitted to treatment for substance misuse (NDTMS) - all opiates
- smoking prevalence in adults (aged 18 and over) admitted to treatment for substance misuse (NDTMS) - alcohol & non-opiates
- smoking prevalence in adults (aged 18 and over) admitted to treatment for substance misuse (NDTMS) - non-opiates
- smoking prevalence in adults (aged 18 and over) admitted to treatment for substance misuse (NDTMS) – alcohol
The data has been corrected in the Fingertips tool. This supersedes any previous published data.
Correction notice (14 January 2026)
Since publication in December 2025, an error has been identified in the revised back trend data for indicators based on the 3 year APS for 2019 to 2021, 2020 to 2022 and 2021 to 2023 for the England average figures. The latest figures, for 2022 to 2024 were correct and have not been revised.
The error also meant the Fingertips display of statistical significance was incorrect when other geographies were compared with the England average for the affected years.
Data has now been revised for England for the following indicators:
- smoking prevalence in adults (aged 18 and over) - current smokers (APS) (3 year range)
- smoking prevalence in adults (aged 18 and over) - ex smokers (APS) (3 year range)
- smoking prevalence in adults (aged 18 and over) - never smoked (APS) (3 year range)
No other geographies or inequality breakdowns within these indicators were affected.
Revised back trend data has been added for indicators based on the 3 year APS for 2019 to 2021, 2020 to 2022 and 2021 to 2023.
November 2025
The following indicators have been updated:
- smoking prevalence in adults (aged 18 and over) – current smokers (APS)
- smoking prevalence in adults (aged 18 and over) – ex-smokers (APS)
- smoking prevalence in adults (aged 18 and over) – never smokers (APS)
- smoking prevalence among adults aged 18 to 64 in routine and manual occupations (APS)
- odds of smoking among adults aged 18 to 64 with a routine and manual occupation compared with those in other occupations (APS)
- smoking prevalence in adults (aged 18 and over) - current smokers (GPPS)
- smoking prevalence in adults (aged 18 and over) - ex smoker (GPPS)
- smoking prevalence in adults (aged 18 and over) - never smoked (GPPS)
- smoking prevalence in adults with a long-term mental health condition (aged 18 and over) - current smokers (GPPS)
- odds of smoking with a long-term mental health condition compared to the odds of smoking without (GPPS)
- proportion of local smoking population who set a quit date
- proportion of those setting a quit date who successfully quit smoking
- proportion of local smoking population who successfully quit smoking
- cost per smoking quitter
Following ONS revisions to the source data, indicators based on single year APS between 2020 and 2023 have been revised. Indicators based on the 3 year APS for 2020 to 2022 and 2021 to 2023 will be revised at a future Fingertips update.
October 2025
This release includes the following new indicator and updates to the names and metadata of related indicators in the 'smoking quitters' domain:
- proportion of those setting a quit date who successfully quit smoking
September 2025
This release includes historical data on stop smoking services. Similar data have previously been published by NHS England so this profile release does not contain a new year of data.
February 2025
The following new indicators have been added at England level and regional level where available:
- regular e-cigarette users (15 year olds)
- have ever used e-cigarettes (15 year olds)
The following indicators have been updated:
- smoking prevalence, regular smokers (15 year olds)
- smoking prevalence, occasional smokers (15 year olds)
October 2024
The following indicators have been updated:
- smoking prevalence in adults (aged 18 and over) – current smokers (APS)
- smoking prevalence in adults (aged 18 and over) – ex-smokers (APS)
- smoking prevalence in adults (aged 18 and over) – never smokers (APS)
- smoking prevalence among adults aged 18 to 64 in routine and manual occupations (APS)
- odds of smoking among adults aged 18 to 64 with a routine and manual occupation (APS)
- emergency hospital admissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (aged 35 and over)
- mortality from oral cancer.
Link to commnetary for this update: Smoking Profile: short statistical commentary
March 2024
Name change from Local Tobacco Control Profiles to the Smoking Profile.
The following indicators have been updated:
- smokers setting a quit date
- smokers that have successfully quit at 4 weeks
- smokers that have successfully quit at 4 weeks (CO validated)
- completeness of NS-SEC recording by Stop Smoking Services
- cost per quitter
- smoking prevalence in adults (18+) - current smokers (GPPS)
- smoking prevalence in adults (18+) - ex-smokers (GPPS)
- smoking prevalence in adults (18+) - never smoked (GPPS)
- smoking prevalence in adults (18+) with a long-term mental health condition - current smokers (GPPS)
- odds of current smoking (self-reported) among adults (18+) diagnosed with a long-term mental health condition (GPPS)
September 2023
The following indicators have been updated:
- Smoking prevalence in adults (18+) - current smokers (APS)
- Smoking prevalence in adults (18+) - ex-smokers (APS)
- Smoking prevalence in adults (18+) - never smokers (APS)
- Smoking prevalence among adults aged 18-64 in routine and manual occupations (APS)
- Odds of reporting current smoking status among adults aged 18-64 with a routine and manual occupation (APS)
April 2023
The following indicators have been updated:
- Smoking prevalence in adults (18+) - current smokers (GPPS)
- Smoking prevalence in adults (18+) - ex smokers (GPPS)
- Smoking prevalence in adults (18+) - never smoked (GPPS)
- Smoking prevalence in adults (15+) - current smokers (QOF)
- Smoking prevalence in adults with a long term mental health condition (18+) - current smokers (GPPS)
- Odds of current smoking among adults aged 18+ diagnosed with a long-term mental health condition (GPPS)
March 2023
The following indicators have been updated:
- Mortality from lung cancer
- Mortality from COPD
