Quit Smoking Calculator UK

Your Health Timeline After Quitting

When you quit smoking, your body begins repairing itself almost immediately. Here is what the NHS and Cancer Research UK say happens at each milestone:

UK Smoking Statistics 2026

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and NHS England, smoking remains one of the most significant preventable causes of death and disease in the United Kingdom. Here is the current picture:

• Approximately 6.4 million adults in England smoke — around 13% of the adult population (ONS 2024).
• Smoking causes over 75,000 deaths in England each year, accounting for roughly 1 in 7 of all deaths.
• Smoking costs the NHS an estimated £2.5 billion per year in treating smoking-related illnesses.
• The annual cost to the UK economy, including productivity losses, is estimated at over £17 billion.
• The UK smoking rate has declined from over 45% in the 1970s to 13% today — a testament to public health campaigns, taxation, and NHS support.
• Smoking prevalence is highest among those aged 25–34 and those in routine/manual occupations.
• Around two thirds of smokers want to quit, yet fewer than 10% succeed unaided each year.
• Tobacco duty raises approximately £10 billion per year for the UK government.

Tobacco Duty and Rising Cigarette Prices

UK tobacco duty has increased above the rate of inflation every year since 2011, under a government policy known as the tobacco duty escalator (currently set at RPI+2% per annum). This makes the UK one of the most expensive countries in Europe for cigarettes. The 2024 Autumn Budget maintained this escalator, and further increases are expected in 2025 and 2026. The consequence is stark: a 20-pack of cigarettes that cost £6 in 2010 now costs over £13.50 in 2026.

E-Cigarettes and Vaping in the UK

Vaping has become the most commonly used stop-smoking aid in the UK, with around 4.5 million adults now using e-cigarettes (UKHSA 2024). Public Health England's landmark review found e-cigarettes to be approximately 95% less harmful than tobacco cigarettes, as they do not produce tar or carbon monoxide — the two substances responsible for most smoking-related disease. The NHS now supports vaping as a legitimate quit-smoking tool. UK e-cigarette regulations, enforced by the MHRA, cap nicotine strength at 20mg/ml and require all products to pass safety assessments before sale.

The average vaper spends around £600–£800 per year on e-liquids and devices — still significantly less than the £4,927 annual cost of a 20-a-day cigarette habit. The Cochrane Review (2022) found high-certainty evidence that nicotine e-cigarettes are more effective at helping people quit than traditional NRT products such as patches and gum.

NHS Stop Smoking Services

The NHS offers free, evidence-based stop smoking support through a network of services across the UK. Research consistently shows that smokers using NHS Stop Smoking Services are up to 4 times more likely to quit successfully than those going it alone. Services available include:

• Free one-to-one or group behavioural support sessions with trained advisers
• Free or subsidised Nicotine Replacement Therapy (patches, gum, inhalators, lozenges)
• Prescription medicines including varenicline (Champix) and bupropion (Zyban)
• The free NHS Quit Smoking app (available on iOS and Android)
• Online communities and the Better Health website (nhs.uk/better-health)
• The free NHS Smokefree helpline: 0300 123 1044

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources & Methodology