The British regions quitting smoking ahead of 2025

Plymouth is the UK city most eager to stop smoking, with an average of 307 Google searches related to quitting per month – equivalent to 114.88 per 100,000 people. 

Plymouth’s top search terms include “nicotine patch”, “nicotine gum”, and “best way to quit smoking”. In Plymouth, approximately 13.8% of adults are current smokers, equating to approximately 35,880 residents. 

Birmingham ranks second, generating an average of 1,267 Google searches per month, or 112.96 per 100,000 people. Among Birmingham’s top search terms are “nicotine gum”, “how to quit smoking”, and “how to stop smoking”. 

Recent ONS statistics show that 13.2% of adults in Birmingham are current smokers. With a population of approximately 1.15 million in Birmingham, this equates to around 152,000 adults who smoke. 

Liverpool ranks third for its quitting efforts, generating an average of 563 monthly Google searches, or 111.04 per 100,000 people. Liverpool’s top search terms include, “nicotine gum”, “how to stop smoking”, and “how to quit smoking”. 

Liverpool currently has approximately 51,200 smokers, based on recent estimates. In Liverpool just under a quarter of men smoke (23.8 per cent), compared to 10.4 per cent of women. 

In fourth place is Worcester, searching an average of 115 times per month, or 109.04 per 100,000 people. Worcester’s top search terms include “nicotine patch”,” nicotine gum”, and “best way to quit smoking”.  

With Worcester’s population at around 103,000 and the smoking prevalence in the West Midlands region at around 12.9%, the city has approximately 13,300 smokers. 

Placing fifth is Leeds, with a total of 541 quitting-related searches made per month, or 100.85 per 100,000 people. Leeds’ top search terms include “how to stop smoking”, “how to quit smoking”, and “best way to quit smoking”. 

In Leeds, approximately 13.4% of adults are estimated to be smokers based on the national smoking prevalence rate. Given Leeds’ population of around 812,000, this equates to roughly 109,000 smokers in the city. 

Newcastle upon Tyne ranks sixth, with an average of 361 monthly searches, or 100.60 per 100,000 people. Among Newcastle’s top search terms are “nicotine patch”, “nicotine gum”, and “how to stop smoking”. 

The estimated adult smoking prevalence in Newcastle upon Tyne is approximately 13%, which is slightly below the England average of 13.9%. With Newcastle’s population of about 300,000, this translates to roughly 39,000 smokers. 

Coventry ranks seventh, with an average of 331 Google searches per month, or 96.09 per 100,000 people. Coventry’s top search terms include “nicotine patch”, nicotine gum”, and “how to stop smoking”. 

In eighth place is Bolton, with an average of 215 monthly searches, or 95.40 per 100,000 people. Among Bolton’s top search terms are “nicotine gum”, “how to stop smoking”, “how to quit smoking”.  

According to the ONS, the smoking prevalence in Bolton is an estimated 16% of the adult population. Based on the town’s population of approximately 288,000, this translates to approximately 46,000 smokers. 

Manchester ranks ninth, generating 683 searches per month on average, or 94.30 per 100,000 people. Manchester’s top search terms include “nicotine patch”, “how to stop smoking”, and “best way to quit smoking”. 

In Manchester, the smoking rate has fallen in recent years, reflecting a broader trend in the UK.  

According to recent data, approximately 14.3% of adults in Greater Manchester, which includes the city of Manchester, were reported to be smokers in 2022. This figure corresponds to roughly 316,000 people across the region. 

Ranking tenth is Salford, generating an average of 178 searches per month, or 93.34 per 100,000 people. “Nicotine patch”, “nicotine gum”, and “how to stop smoking”, are among Salford’s top search terms. 

In Salford, around 1 in 6 people smoke, which represents approximately 16-17% of the population. 

Nottingham is the city least interested in quitting smoking, generating an average 101 searches per month – equivalent to 33.91 per 100,000 people. 

The UK’s top smoking-related search terms