Affordability of cigarettes in United Kingdom

United Kingdom: Affordability of cigarettes was 2.8% in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
2.8%
Change on year
down 4.8%
World rank
107th
of 176 countries
All-time high
2.9%
in 2020
All-time low
2.4%
in 2012
Years of data
6
2012–2022

Affordability of cigarettes in United Kingdom, 2012–2022

01232012201720222012: 2.4 %2014: 2.6 %2016: 2.7 %2018: 2.5 %2020: 2.9 %2022: 2.8 %

Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for affordability of cigarettes in United Kingdom is 2.8%, measured in 2022.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.8% on the previous year and up 13.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, affordability of cigarettes in United Kingdom peaked at 2.9% in 2020 and was at its lowest, 2.4%, in 2012.

That places United Kingdom 107th out of 176 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 2.6% 2.4% 2.7% 4
2020s 2.8% 2.8% 2.9% 2

Countries ranked near United Kingdom

  1. 104 North Macedonia 2.9% compare
  2. 105 Montenegro 2.9% compare
  3. 106 Cambodia 2.8% compare
  4. 107 Egypt 2.8% compare
  5. 109 Colombia 2.7% compare
  6. 110 Saudi Arabia 2.7% compare
  7. 110 Thailand 2.7% compare

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More reference data data for United Kingdom

All data for United Kingdom →

Frequently asked questions

What is affordability of cigarettes in United Kingdom?
Affordability of cigarettes in United Kingdom was 2.8% in 2022, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest affordability of cigarettes recorded in United Kingdom?
The highest recorded value was 2.9% in 2020.
What is the lowest affordability of cigarettes recorded in United Kingdom?
The lowest recorded value was 2.4% in 2012.
How does United Kingdom rank for affordability of cigarettes?
United Kingdom ranks 107th out of 176 countries with data for 2022.
Is affordability of cigarettes rising or falling in United Kingdom?
Over the last ten years it is up 13.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this United Kingdom data come from?
The figures come from World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Affordability of cigarettes. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 6 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Affordability of cigarettes
Unit
%
Source
World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
176 places, 1,044 data points, 2012–2022
Last refreshed

The price of 100 packs of cigarettes as a share of GDP per capita. This price is based on the most-sold brand of cigarettes in a given country and includes taxes. Lower values indicate that cigarettes are more affordable.