More than two-thirds (67 per cent) of current smokers in Britain want to give up, according to research by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Nearly seven in ten households do not allow smoking indoors, and 81 per cent of people are in favour of the existing ban on lighting up in public places.
A statistician at the ONS said: 'The scale of the health problem caused by smoking is clearly shown by the fact that there were approximately 1.5 million hospital admissions in 2008-09 with a primary diagnosis of a disease that can be caused by smoking, and this figure has been rising steadily since 1996-97 when the number of admissions was 1.1 million.'
Figures from the World Health Organisation (WHO) show that more than five million people die each year from smoking around the world, and there are fears that without action, this figure could increase to more than eight million.
The WHO is currently gearing up to promote World No Tobacco Day on May 31st, which aims to highlight the dangers of tobacco and encourage people to abstain from smoking for 24 hours.
This year's theme is the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control - an evidence-based treaty that was developed in response to the global tobacco epidemic.
In a statement ahead of the annual event, UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon said: 'From reducing demand through higher prices and taxes to restricting advertising and sponsorship, from warnings on packages to prohibitions against sales to minors, countries are using the treaty's provisions to protect their citizens.'