Smoking: a historic drop in the number of smokers in France

According to the results of the Public Health Barometer France 2024, published on October 15, 2025, France is recording a historic decline in smoking. In 2024, 24% of adults aged 18 to 79 reported smoking tobacco, including 17.4% daily, the lowest level ever observed since the launch of this national survey. In 2021, these proportions reached 32% and 25% respectively among 18-75 year-olds in mainland France. This decline is in line with the trend that began in 2016 following the implementation of national tobacco control plans, after a period of stagnation linked to the health crisis.

The Public Health France Barometer is a representative survey conducted among a large sample of the population residing in mainland France and in the overseas departments and regions. In 2024, data collection was conducted by telephone and online, using a mixed survey method to ensure representative results. Smokers were classified according to their frequency of consumption: daily (smoking every day) or occasional (smoking infrequently). Ex-smokers are people who had previously smoked but reported no longer smoking at the time of the survey. Approximately 35,000 people aged 18 to 79 were surveyed.

A marked decline in daily prevalence

In 2024, 24.% of adults aged 18 to 79 reported smoking tobacco, including 17.4TP3T on a daily basis. This is the lowest level ever observed since the launch of the Public Health France Barometer, confirming the continued decline in smoking that began in 2016.

Men continue to be more likely to smoke than women (19.7 versus 15.3 per cent), and daily consumption is concentrated mainly between the ages of 30 and 59, before decreasing significantly after the age of 60. Among the adult population as a whole, 32.1 per cent declare themselves to be ex-smokers, while 43.8 per cent have never smoked. Daily smokers consume an average of 12.8 cigarettes per day, with a marked gender gap (14 for men and 11.4 for women).

If we restrict the analysis to the population aged 18–75 living in mainland France, comparable to previous editions, the smoking prevalence stands at 25%, including 18.2 % daily smokers, compared to 31.9 % and 25.3 % in 2021. This drop of almost six points in three years illustrates a lasting trend towards a decrease in tobacco consumption across the country.

Social and territorial disparities in smoking

Despite these encouraging results, social disparities remain significant. Daily smoking affects 25.1 % of manual workers, compared to 11.8 % of managers. It reaches 20.9 % among people without a diploma or with a level below the baccalaureate, compared to 13.0 % among university graduates. The economic situation is also a determining factor: 30% of people reporting financial difficulties smoke daily, compared to 10.1 % among those who say they are comfortable. Rates are lower among retirees (8.8 %) and students (12.2 %) than among those in employment (19.2 %) or unemployed (29.7 %). These disparities confirm the socially unequal nature of smoking, even if the downward trend affects all categories.

Daily smoking rates vary from 14.6 % to 20.9 % depending on the region. The lowest prevalence rates are observed in Île-de-France (14.6 %) and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (16.0 %), while the highest are in Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (20.9 %), Occitanie (20.6 %) and Grand Est (19.8 %). In the overseas departments and regions, the rates are significantly lower: 9.5 % in Martinique, 9.6 % in Guadeloupe and 10.4 % in French Guiana, compared to 16.1 % in Réunion.

More than one in two smokers want to quit

More than half of daily smokers, or 55%, say they want to quit smoking. This desire is more pronounced among university graduates (59.1 %) and managers (60.2 %) than among manual workers (52.3 %). Furthermore, 17.3 % of daily smokers have tried to quit smoking for at least one week in the last twelve months. Attempts are more frequent among 18-29 year-olds (28.2 %) and students (33.8 %) than in older age groups, where they fall to around 13 % after age 50. These results confirm the need to strengthen prevention and cessation support measures, particularly for the most vulnerable groups.

This dynamic is accompanied by a continued increase in the use of smoking cessation treatments. Sales in pharmacies increased by 10 % between 2023 and 2024, and by nearly 30 % since 2021, in volume equivalent to one month of treatment. This trend, which began in 2019, follows the introduction of reimbursement of nicotine replacement therapy at 65 % on medical prescription, instead of the annual flat rate previously in force.

These results demonstrate a growing interest among smokers in quitting and the positive effect of public policies facilitating access to cessation treatments and medical support.

An encouraging dynamic to consolidate

The decline in smoking observed in 2024 is in line with the policies implemented since 2016, and with the objective set by the National Tobacco Control Program 2023–2027: to achieve a tobacco-free generation by 2032. Between 2023 and 2024, the average price of the best-selling pack rose from €10.92 to €12.54, an increase of almost 15 %, one of the most effective levers for reducing consumption according to Public Health France. While France remains slightly above the European average, the downward trend is now well established, driven by the combination of tax measures, prevention campaigns and easier access to smoking cessation treatments.

©Generation Without Tobacco

AE