Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish data comparing the rates of smoking among 18 to 24 year olds in Norway and in the UK for (a) 2000 and (b) 2020.

Data on smoking prevalence in Norway is available for 16 to 24 year olds. Daily smoking prevalence has fallen from 29% in 2000 to 1% in 2020. However, prevalence of occasional smoking among this age group has remained similar since 2000 and was 14% in 2020.

Comparable data on smoking prevalence for the United Kingdom is not available. In England, current smoking prevalence among 16 to 24 year olds, which includes occasional smokers, fell from 32.9% in 2000 to 19.4% in 2019. In Great Britain, prevalence fell from 32.3% in 2000 to 18.3% in 2019. Data for smoking prevalence in England and Great Britain in 2020 is expected in December 2021.