Mobile Menu

Business Environment Profiles - United Kingdom

Health consciousness

Published: 01 July 2025

Key Metrics

Health consciousness

Total (2025)

103 Index

Annualized Growth 2020-25

0.0 %

Definition of Health consciousness

IBISWorld uses an index of cigarette smoking, alcohol intake, obesity rates, fruit and vegetable consumption and sport participation to calculate health consciousness. The data is sourced from the National Health Service through its Health Survey for England in addition to IBISWorld estimates. The Health Survey for England is an annual survey designed to measure health in adults and children living in private households. The figures are presented as percentages in calendar years.

Analyze the wider world in which businesses operate

We measure the upstream and downstream ramifications on thousands of industries so businesses can monitor their external operating environment. Explore membership options today.

Purchase options

Included in an IBISWorld Membership

Our industry reports include 35+ pages of data, analysis and charts, including:

  • Industry Financial Ratios
    Industry Financial Ratios
  • Historical and Forecast Growth
    Historical and Forecast Growth
  • Industry Market Size
    Industry Market Size
  • Industry Major Players
    Industry Major Players
  • Profitability Analysis
    Profitability Analysis
  • SWOT Analysis
    SWOT Analysis
  • Industry Trends
    Industry Trends
  • Industry Operating Conditions
    Industry Operating Conditions

Recent Trends – Health consciousness

Smoking rates have declined throughout the period, matching the trend seen throughout the past few decades. This is expected to be due to sustained government policy aimed at reducing new smokers as well as to encourage smokers to quit smoking. Such policy has been increasing the age to buy cigarettes in the UK from 16 years old to 18 years old from October 2007. This was the same year the indoor smoking in most public places was outlawed. Health consciousness is expected to rise in 2022, with the proportion of non-smokers rising by 0.5 percentage points.

In the period, the main contributions to increasing the level of non-smokers has been consistent advertising and public health campaigns and increases to tobacco duty. These have served to increase public knowledge of the health implications of smoking as well as to increase the price of cigarettes to discourage use. As of May 2022, the current tobacco duty is set at 16.5% of the retail price plus £6.96 on a packet of 20 cigarettes, not including the 20% VAT. From May 2016, the government implemented a one-year transition into the ban of the manufacture and sale of 10 cigarette packets and introduced a standardised plain design. Other measures include an increase in the proportion of the packet covered in health warnings to 65% and bans on words that infer some level of health, such as "lite", "natural" or "organic. From May 2020, all flavoured cigarettes have also been removed from sale, increasing the barriers to starting and continuing smoking.

Other measurements of health consciousness can be explored through alcohol intake with no-to-low alcohol intake considered as heathier than higher intakes of alcohol. This tells a slightly different story to that of the smoking rate. According to data from the NHS, the proportion of adults that have not drunk any alcohol over the past 12-month period in 2019 is 20%. This has increased over the past decade slightly, signalling a higher level of health consciousness. However, the proportion of adults with a low alcohol intake, which is classes as less than 14 units per week, have increased over the majority of the period, before falling slightly in 2019 to 57%. In 2020, alcohol intake is expected to have increased in the home due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak, with retailers reporting soring sales of alcohol. This is likely due to government-imposed restrictions limiting other ways of consumers spending their time, with many increasing their alcohol intake as a result. However, the lack of out-the-home consumption is forecast to lead to an overall decrease in consumption.

Show more

5-Year Outlook – Health consciousness

The proportion is forecast to rise throughout the period, with an increasingly interventionist ap...

Looking for IBISWorld Industry Reports?

Gain strategic insight and analysis on thousands of industries.

Trusted by More Than 10,000 Clients Around the World

  • IBISWorld client - VISA
  • IBISWorld client - ADP
  • IBISWorld client - Deloitte
  • IBISWorld client - AMEX
  • IBISWorld client - Bank of Montreal