Number of male smokers in Britain falls to 20 pct, lowest ever level in 40 years

The number of British men who smoke has dropped to its lowest level in 40 years, from 51 percent in 1974 to 20 percent in 2014, the Office of National Statistics (ONS) said Wednesday.

ONS released the latest figures to mark the annual No Smoking Day, aimed at encouraging even more people to quit tobacco.

Over the same period, the number of women smokers fell from 41 percent to 17 percent.

In all age groups, men are more likely to be smokers than women. A quarter of males (25 percent) aged 16 to 24 smoke compared to 21 percent of females. That is just marginally lower than the 25 to 34 age group, which accounts for the largest group of smokers, 26 percent of males and 22 percent of females.

There has also been a drop in the number of cigarettes smoked daily in Britain. In 1974, smokers in Britain smoked 16.2 cigarettes a day on average, compared to the 2014 average of 11.4 cigarettes.

While those aged 25 to 34 are the most likely to be smokers, they smoked the lowest amount per day at 9.6 cigarettes. Meanwhile, smokers aged 50 to 59 smoked the most at 13.4 cigarettes a day.

Men aged 60 and over and women aged 50 to 59 bucked the downward trend in cigarette smoking between 2013 and 2014 by lighting up more. Men increased their consumption from 13.7 cigarettes to 14.6, while women's use rose from 12.0 to 12.3 cigarettes.

According to figures from Adult Smoking Habits in Britain, smoking is the leading cause of preventable death, causing almost 80,000 deaths in England in 2013. Estimates from the Welsh Government put the annual death toll at 5,500, while the Scottish Government estimates there are 13,500 smoking-related deaths a year. Endit