New Year resolutions: Who are the heaviest smokers in Europe?

Nearly a quarter of EU citizens (24%) are smokers.

The latest Eurobarometer survey on smoking highlights that the smoking rate has remained relatively unchanged between 2020 and 2023, with just a 1% drop.

The heaviest smokers are in Eastern Europe, with 37% in Bulgaria, 36% in Greece, 35% in Croatia, and 34% in Romania.

Sweden has the lowest rate of smokers (8%), followed by the Netherlands (11%) and Denmark (14%).

Men are more likely to use tobacco products than women (28% vs 21%).

At the same time, 56% say they never smoked in their life.

Young, unemployed males with financial difficulties more likely to be smokers

The highest concentration of smokers is in the 25-39 age range (32%) while the lowest rate is among those aged 55 and older.

Unemployed people are the most likely to smoke (40%), followed by manual workers (37%) and managers (20%).

The percentage of smokers is higher among people who have difficulties paying their bills (38%) rather than people who never faced those problems (21%).

Boxed cigarettes remain the most popular, with 77% of smokers choosing them, compared to 23% who prefer hand-rolled cigarettes.

Daily consumption varies widely across the bloc, with the average being 14 cigarettes a day, a rate that has remained stable since 2020.

Eurobarometer data also shows that the percentage of people who use e-cigarettes is just 3%.

Tobacco is the main cause of preventable cancer

Tobacco remains the largest avoidable health risk and is responsible for 700,000 deaths yearly in the EU alone.

Furthermore, around 50% of smokers die prematurely, 14 years earlier on average than non-smokers.

Tobacco consumption is also the main cause of preventable cancer, with 27% of all tumours attributed to its use, according to the World Health Organization.

Video editor • Mert Can Yilmaz