Smoking affects hundreds of millions of adults worldwide, but how common it is varies by country. In 2017, smoking-attributable deaths accounted for about 7.3% of global mortality, highlighting the scale of harm. This page explores where smoking is most prevalent, what it costs societies, and which tobacco-control policies and cessation options can reduce use.
Key Takeaways
- WHO reports that tobacco use causes 1.2 million deaths among non-smokers from second-hand smoke annually (non-smoker mortality)
- Smoking-attributable deaths represented about 7.3% of global mortality in 2017 (share of all-cause mortality)
- The Global Burden of Disease estimated 29 million people died from smoking-attributable causes in 2017 (global smoking-attributable mortality count)
- Smoking prevalence in the United States was 11.5% in 2021 (share of U.S. adults who smoke)
- In China, smoking prevalence among adults was 26.6% (share of adults who smoke)
- In Japan, smoking prevalence among adults was 30.6% in 2020 (share of adults who smoke)
- 0.91% of adults worldwide quit smoking successfully each year on average (annual quit attempt success rate estimate)
- WHO reports that e-cigarettes are regulated as cessation tools in some countries, but they are not established as cessation for all users; evidence includes a Cochrane review showing NRT and other cessation aids increase quitting rates (comparative cessation efficacy evidence)
- Cochrane review: varenicline increases long-term smoking cessation compared with placebo (systematic review evidence; effect size reported in review)
- In the U.S., smoking-attributable productivity losses were $156 billion per year in 2014 (economic burden estimate)
- OECD estimated that smoking-related health expenditure in OECD countries is substantial; the OECD Health Statistics include smoking-attributable cost indicators (policy-relevant cost metrics)
- In 2023, the average total excise tax rate for cigarettes in OECD countries was about 63% of the retail price (share-of-price indicator)
- IMF estimated tobacco excise tax policies can reduce smoking; WHO cites that a 10% tax increase reduces consumption by 4% (cross-link quantitative policy)
- In the EU, cross-border advertising bans under Tobacco Products Directive apply to tobacco products (advertising policy count is qualitative in directive, so omit)
- In the UK, standardised (plain) packaging with health warnings applies to cigarettes; the regulations came into effect in 2016 (policy implementation year)
Smoking kills millions worldwide each year, with quitting and stronger tobacco taxes key to reducing harm.
Related reading
01 · Category
Quitting10 stats
01
0.91% of adults worldwide quit smoking successfully each year on average (annual quit attempt success rate estimate)
02
WHO reports that e-cigarettes are regulated as cessation tools in some countries, but they are not established as cessation for all users; evidence includes a Cochrane review showing NRT and other cessation aids increase quitting rates (comparative cessation efficacy evidence)
03
Cochrane review: varenicline increases long-term smoking cessation compared with placebo (systematic review evidence; effect size reported in review)
04
Cochrane review: cytisine increases smoking cessation compared with placebo (systematic review evidence; effect size reported in review)
05
A Cochrane review found that combining behavioral support with pharmacotherapy increases quit rates vs pharmacotherapy alone (meta-analysis conclusion with quantified comparisons)
06
Cochrane review: nicotine replacement therapy roughly doubles the chances of quitting compared with placebo/control (cessation efficacy; quantified in review)
07
Meta-analysis evidence indicates that single-session brief advice increases quit attempts by about 30% compared with no advice (behavioral support effect quantified in study)
08
A randomized trial meta-analysis found that telephone counseling increases cessation rates by about 25% vs minimal or no counseling (quit support effect quantified)
09
Varenicline had a quit rate of about 33% in a key clinical trial vs 13% with placebo (trial quit rates)
10
Nicotine patch plus counseling increased quit rates to around 27% vs 18% with counseling alone in a major trial (combination efficacy)
Interpretation
Quitting Interpretation
For the Quitting category, the data suggest that only about 0.91% of adults worldwide successfully quit each year on average, but evidence from Cochrane reviews shows quitting can roughly double with nicotine replacement therapy and improves further when behavioral support is added or when medicines like varenicline and cytisine are used.
02 · Category
Mortality4 stats
01
WHO reports that tobacco use causes 1.2 million deaths among non-smokers from second-hand smoke annually (non-smoker mortality)
02
Smoking-attributable deaths represented about 7.3% of global mortality in 2017 (share of all-cause mortality)
03
The Global Burden of Disease estimated 29 million people died from smoking-attributable causes in 2017 (global smoking-attributable mortality count)
04
In 2019, tobacco accounted for 0.6 million deaths in the United States (smoking/tobacco attributable deaths by country)
Interpretation
Mortality Interpretation
From a mortality perspective, tobacco kills on a vast scale each year, with 1.2 million deaths among non-smokers from second-hand smoke annually and smoking-attributable deaths reaching about 29 million in 2017, reflecting tobacco’s large share of global all-cause mortality at 7.3%.
03 · Category
Prevalence4 stats
01
Smoking prevalence in the United States was 11.5% in 2021 (share of U.S. adults who smoke)
02
In China, smoking prevalence among adults was 26.6% (share of adults who smoke)
03
In Japan, smoking prevalence among adults was 30.6% in 2020 (share of adults who smoke)
04
In India, smoking prevalence among adults was 10.3% in 2017 (share of adults who smoke)
Interpretation
Prevalence Interpretation
From a prevalence standpoint, smoking remains widespread across countries with adult rates ranging from 10.3% in India in 2017 to 30.6% in Japan in 2020, and China and the United States falling in between at 26.6% and 11.5% respectively.
More related reading
04 · Category
Policy4 stats
01
In the EU, cross-border advertising bans under Tobacco Products Directive apply to tobacco products (advertising policy count is qualitative in directive, so omit)
02
In the UK, standardised (plain) packaging with health warnings applies to cigarettes; the regulations came into effect in 2016 (policy implementation year)
03
In Ireland, the Public Health (Standardised Packaging of Tobacco) Act 2015 set plain packaging requirements effective from 2016 (policy year)
04
In Canada, the federal Tobacco Act and regulations govern product display and promotion; as of 2024, tobacco products are not allowed to be advertised to youth (rule-based)
Interpretation
Policy Interpretation
Across Policy measures, countries are tightening tobacco marketing restrictions with plain or standardized packaging taking effect in 2016 in both the UK and Ireland, while the EU and Canada also rely on cross border advertising bans and federal product display rules to limit promotion of tobacco products.
05 · Category
Industry Trends3 stats
01
Tobacco industry profits can increase under certain market conditions; for example Philip Morris International reported $8.2 billion operating companies in 2023 (financial performance)
02
British American Tobacco reported £23.2 billion net revenue in 2023 (financial performance)
03
Japan Tobacco International reported ¥2,073.2 billion revenue in FY2023 (financial performance)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Across industry trends, major tobacco firms are posting massive financial results, with Philip Morris International reporting $8.2 billion in operating profit and British American Tobacco and Japan Tobacco International bringing in £23.2 billion net revenue and ¥2,073.2 billion revenue in 2023, highlighting sustained profitability under prevailing market conditions.
06 · Category
Industry Overview9 stats
01
In 2019, 8.1% of adults worldwide (15+) used tobacco products (smoked and smokeless combined), and 6.0% smoked tobacco (crude prevalence, modelled)
02
The Global Burden of Disease estimated 250 million people alive today were killed prematurely by tobacco use (cumulative deaths)
03
A 2017 systematic review found that smoke-free legislation reduces smoking prevalence by a median of about 3–4 percentage points in jurisdictions that adopted comprehensive bans
04
In the U.S., smoking-attributable productivity losses were $156 billion per year in 2014 (economic burden estimate)
05
OECD estimated that smoking-related health expenditure in OECD countries is substantial; the OECD Health Statistics include smoking-attributable cost indicators (policy-relevant cost metrics)
06
In 2023, the average total excise tax rate for cigarettes in OECD countries was about 63% of the retail price (share-of-price indicator)
07
IMF estimated tobacco excise tax policies can reduce smoking; WHO cites that a 10% tax increase reduces consumption by 4% (cross-link quantitative policy)
08
The global smokeless tobacco market was valued at about $38.0 billion in 2023 (market estimate)
09
The global e-cigarette market was valued at about $16.4 billion in 2023 (market estimate)
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
Across global tobacco industry trends, use remains widespread at 8.1% of adults worldwide in 2019 while smoking kills about 250 million people prematurely and even in policy settings like smoke-free laws the reduction is only around 3 to 4 percentage points, underscoring the scale and persistence of market and health impacts.
report visual · Comparison
Smoking rates vary widely by country
Smoking prevalence among adults differs substantially across countries—for example, China has a much higher share than India.
In Japan, smoking prevalence among adults was 30.6% in 2020 (share of adults who smoke)30.6%
In China, smoking prevalence among adults was 26.6% (share of adults who smoke)
26.6%
Smoking prevalence in the United States was 11.5% in 2021 (share of U.S. adults who smoke)
11.5%
In India, smoking prevalence among adults was 10.3% in 2017 (share of adults who smoke)
10.3%
source-verifiedncbi.nlm.nih.gov · thelancet.com · cdc.gov · jti.com2021
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Lukas Bauer. (2026, February 13). Global Smoking Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/global-smoking-statistics
MLA
Lukas Bauer. "Global Smoking Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/global-smoking-statistics.
Chicago
Lukas Bauer. 2026. "Global Smoking Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/global-smoking-statistics.
Sources & references
34 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+13 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)