Head to head: UK smokers vs UK drinkers

Which is worse - smoking or drinking? We tot up the stats to find out which affects UK citizens the most.


Array

As an individual, cigarettes are much more likely to kill you eventually, but alcohol can kill you at any age; through binge drinking, alcohol-related violence and drink driving. And smoking rates have almost halved since 1974, whereas average alcohol consumption figures have fallen much more slowly.

Subscribe to BBC Focus magazine for fascinating new Q&As every month and follow @sciencefocusQA on Twitter for your daily dose of fun science facts.