The data presented so far have been for Great Britain, but the targets included in the White Paper Smoking Kills and in the NHS Cancer Plan relate to England only. Table 8.6 shows that in 2001, overall prevalence in England was 27%, the same as in Great Britain as a whole.

In 2001, as in previous years, prevalence was significantly higher in Scotland, at 31%, than in England or Wales (both 27%). In England, prevalence tended to be higher in the north of the country than in the midlands and the south.