The price of cigarettes in the United Kingdom has substantially increased each year since 2000. In 2023, the average retail price of a 20-pack of cigarettes was 14.25 British pounds. Cigarette taxes The most expensive country in which to purchase cigarettes in Europe was Ireland, with the UK in second place. Cigarette prices across Europe are driven by the respective taxes imposed within each of the member states and consist of a specific duty per thousand cigarettes and an ad valorem rate onto the recommended retail price, in addition to value added tax (VAT). Thus, the highest rates of taxation are reflected in the retail prices. Governments that impose such strong barriers to the purchasing of tobacco are considered 'nanny states', with high levels of control on other factors, such as advertising, bans of tobacco products on retail displays and graphic warnings on cigarette packs. UK tobacco industry Consumer expenditure on tobacco in the UK has generally been decreasing since 2005. As of 2022, the annual expenditure was at about 21.3 billion British pounds, marking an overall decrease of over 40 percent compared to expenditure in 2005. However, despite the high taxes in the UK and the decrease in expenditure, the revenue of the tobacco industry is expected to grow in coming years. By 2029, the tobacco products market is forecast to have a revenue of almost 27 billion British pounds.

This statistical report presents a range of information on smoking which is drawn together from a variety of sources. The report aims to present a broad picture of health issues relating to smoking in England and covers topics such as smoking prevalence, habits, behaviours and attitudes among adults and school children, smoking-related ill health and mortality and smoking-related costs.

This report combines data from different sources presenting it in a user-friendly format. It contains data and information previously published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC), Department of Health, the Office for National Statistics and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. The report also includes new analyses carried out by the Health and Social Care Information Centre.