Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people died from smoking in (a) England and (b) North Ireland in each year since 2017.

Data for the number of deaths from smoking in England is estimated in the local tobacco profiles and is produced for three-year periods. The latest data shows that between 2017 and 2019, 191,903 deaths were estimated to be attributable to smoking, or roughly 64,000 a year. Data from 2020 onwards is not yet published.

The Department is not aware of annual data from Northern Ireland regarding smoking deaths per year. However, as stated in Northern Ireland’s Mid Term Review Tobacco Control Strategy, “Smoking is the single greatest cause of preventable illness and premature death in Northern Ireland, killing round 2,300 people each year.” More information is available at the following link:

https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/publications/health-survey-northern-ireland-smoking-trends