MORE 11 to 15-year-olds in England have taken drugs than have smoked a cigarette, new figures suggest.

Almost a quarter (24%) of surveyed pupils said they had used drugs at least once, while around one in five (19%) had smoked tobacco, according to a report by NHS Digital covering 2016.

The number of pupils reporting drug-taking rose from 15% in 2014 to 24% in 2016, which NHS Digital said may partly be fuelled by the addition of new questions about nitrous oxide and new psychoactive substances, formerly known as legal highs.

However, more data is needed to understand if this apparent rise is a genuine trend, the body added.

The findings further showed 3% of pupils were regular smokers, while 10% had drunk alcohol in the last week and 10% had used drugs in the past month.

Almost half (44%) said they had drunk alcohol at least once.

Girls (11%) were more likely than boys (7%) to have been drunk in the past four weeks, and were marginally more likely to have smoked a cigarette, the report added.

The total number of pupils who said they had smoked tobacco appears to have declined steadily over the past 20 years, falling from 49% in 1996 to 19% in 2016.

Meanwhile, a quarter (25%) said they had inhaled an e-cigarette - up from 22% in 2014 - but just 2% of pupils use one regularly.

Some 12,051 pupils from 177 schools across England were asked about their lifestyles and substance use by Ipsos Mori for the report: Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People, England: 2016.

The fall in smoking levels was welcomed as "good progress" by the charity Action On Smoking And Health (ASH).

The survey found 7% of 15-year-olds were regular smokers - the lowest level on record, the charity said, adding that the figure was 20% In 2006.

Measures like a ban on displaying tobacco, prohibiting its promotion and sponsorship, and making the substance more expensive contributed to the decrease, ASH added.

There was a sharp decline in the number of students regularly buying cigarettes from shops between 2014 and 2016, the report said, pointing to the display ban implemented in 2015 across all shops.

Chief executive Deborah Arnott said the report showed England was heading in the right direction, but said more action was needed on adult smokers.

She said: "It is the higher rates of adult smoking in poorer communities that are the main reason for lower life expectancy.

"The Tobacco Control Plan must be fully implemented and adequately funded if we are to succeed in tackling the burning injustice that those born poor die on average nine years earlier."

The Government aims to reduce smoking levels among 15-year-olds to 3% or lower and to 12% or lower for adults by the end of 2022 as part of the plan.