More than half of adults who are in poor health are current or ex-smokers, according to a report that calls for investment in national information campaigns and smoking cessation services to help limit the negative effects that smoking has on the economy.
According to the International Longevity Centre’s ‘Up in smoke’ report, which analyses data from the Office for National Statistics annual population surveys for 2015-2017, 25% of men and 26.5% of women who smoked or used to smoke were in poor health, putting great strain on health systems.
Men who have never smoked enjoy five more years of disability-free life, while women can expect almost six more years of disability-free life, helping to keep them in work for longer.
Current or ex-smokers were more likely to be economically inactive than those who had never smoked. From the ages of 20 to 60 those who had never smoked were 5.4% more economically active on average than current/ex-smokers, and between the ages of 44 and 56 that difference rose to 9%.
The report found that this level of inactivity came at a great cost to the UK economy. Assuming that average earnings in the UK were £25,000 per annum, the report estimated the UK’s GDP would have seen an increase of £11.5bn a year had no men in the UK had ever smoked during this period.
The ILC argues that to meet its pledge to go “smoke free”, the government needs to:
- Raise the legal age for purchasing tobacco to 21, and gradually introduce further raises in the future
- Reduce tobacco affordability by increasing UK tobacco tax each year in stages from the current level of RPI +2% to RPI +5%
- Reduce the size of the illicit market by introducing a tobacco licensing system for retailers and wholesalers
- Support smoking cessation programmes and behaviour change campaigns at a local level.
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Professor Les Mayhew, head of global research at ILC and a professor of statistics, said: “It’s no secret that smoking is bad for our health, but what is lesser known is that it’s also bad for our economy. We need people to stay healthy for longer and despite a decline in smoking we are not out of the woods yet.
“The pandemic has shown that smokers and ex-smokers are more likely to end up in hospital if they have Covid. Over the life course they work fewer years, are less productive and quit work sooner. Their later years are more likely to be marred by ill health which means less time for consumption, volunteering and community work.”
