This is how much smoking levels have declined in Fife

Smoking rates have fallen in Fife – meaning the area is below the national average.

The Office for National Statistics estimates 13.6% of adults in Fife smoked in 2019.

Smoking rates have fallen in the area from 2018, when 15.0% of those aged 18 and over lit up.

The ONS estimates a further 28.6% of adults have quit smoking in Fife, with the remaining 57.8% saying they had never done so.

​Women were more likely to smoke than men – 13.9% of females were smokers, compared to 13.3% of males.

Throughout the UK, the proportion of smokers has fallen every year since 2011, reaching a record low of 14.1% in 2019.

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Scotland saw the biggest drop of all four UK countries, down from 16.3% to 15.4% – but there are still around 638,000 smokers in the country.

Campaign group, Action on Smoking Health Scotland, welcomed the reports, but said their job is not done yet.

Sheila Duffy, chief executive, said: "We welcome any reports that suggest smoking rates have decreased. If we see this decline over a few years, we will be even more delighted."

The Scottish Government has set a target of creating a tobacco-free generation by 2034, aiming for smoking rates of 5% or less among the adult population.

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