The NHS Information Centre has published statistics on smoking from a range of sources, covering topics such as smoking habits, behaviours and attitudes among adults (aged 16 and over) and school children (aged 11 to 15), smoking-related ill health and mortality, affordability of tobacco and smoking-related costs.

Key facts presented include the following:

• 21% per cent of adults in England reported cigarette smoking in 2008, the same as in 2007 and lower than 1980 (39%)

• Prevalence continues to be higher among men (21%) than women (20%), though the difference in 2008 is reduced compared with recent years

• In England in 2009 three in ten secondary school pupils (29%), had tried smoking at least once and 6% were regular smokers (smoking at least one cigarette a week).

• In England in 2008/09, 67% of current smokers reported wanting to give up smoking, with 75% reporting having tried to give up smoking at some point in the past.

• In England in 2008/09 an estimated 462,900 hospital admissions of adults aged 35 and over were attributable to smoking (this accounts for 5% per cent of all hospital admissions in this age group)

• In England in 2009 an estimated 81,400 deaths of adults aged 35 and over were attributable to smoking (this accounts for 18% of all deaths in this age group)

Please see the link below for further details.