WHO: Smoking prevalence down in Europe

According to a study by the World Health Organization (WHO), published at the end of June 2020, the prevalence of smoking among adults has decreased by 7.9 points in the European region[1], from 34.2% in 2000 to 26.3% in 2018. In the same time interval, the number of smokers has decreased from 227 to 186 million people. Between 2010 and 2025, it is estimated that this prevalence will have decreased by 18%, a figure below the expectations of the WHO Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases between 2013 and 2020 (-30%)[2].

Sexual and regional disparities

The number of female smokers in this region is estimated at 67 million, corresponding to a smoking prevalence slightly lower than 20%, while there are 119 million male smokers (34%).

The average smoking rate among men in Northern Europe in 2010 was the lowest in the European region, and is expected to decline the most by 2025, from 30% to 17%. In Western Europe, smoking prevalence among men was slightly higher and is expected to decline more slowly (from 32% to 26%). Finally, smoking prevalence in Eastern Europe remains the highest, with Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Latvia, Greece and Bulgaria, where more than 30% of men are smokers.

In 2010, smoking prevalence among women in Eastern Europe was the lowest of the four subregions, and is projected to decline slightly by 2025 (from 14% to 12%). Southern Europe is projected to experience the smallest decline (from 21% to 19%), slightly less than Western Europe (from 25% to 22%). The highest prevalence among women was observed in Northern Europe, which is however projected to experience a very large reduction by 2025 (from 28 to 17%).

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