Fifteen point one percent of U.S. adults aged 18 and older currently smoke cigarettes. Only one in five smokers use behavioral support when attempting to quit. Adding counseling to nicotine replacement therapy raises continuous abstinence rates at six months from 8.1 percent to 14.6 percent.
Key Takeaways
- 15.1% of U.S. adults aged 18+ were current cigarette smokers in 2016–2018
- The CDC reports 1 in 5 smokers use behavioral support for quitting (survey-based; share using counseling)
- 3.1% of U.S. adults were current smokers who used both cigarettes and e-cigarettes (2016–2022 estimate)
- A systematic review found that adding counseling to pharmacotherapy increases smoking cessation rates
- In 2021, the National Quitline had a 74% reach rate for follow-up (returned contacts percentage)
- In the U.S., the Quitline network provides services in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and several U.S. territories
- Quitting smoking before age 50 reduces risk of premature death compared with continuing to smoke (pooled evidence reported in the NEJM study)
- WHO states that without tobacco control, tobacco will cause more than 8 million deaths per year by 2030
- The U.S. National Cancer Institute states that quitting smoking reduces health risks substantially within months and years (risk reduction timeline)
- US Surgeon General’s report on smoking cessation states that effective treatments include counseling and FDA-approved pharmacotherapy (including NRT, varenicline, and bupropion)
- The U.S. FDA lists nicotine replacement therapy products as first-line cessation aids (NRT)
- Varenicline (Chantix) was approved by FDA to help people quit smoking (2006 approval)
- In 2023, the global smoking cessation market was $1.8B (varied by definition; vendor/industry estimate), reflecting demand for cessation products
- In 2024, the U.S. smoking cessation products market was forecast to reach $3.1B (vendor market forecast)
- The global smoking cessation services market was estimated at $6.1B in 2023 (services market estimate)
Mixing counseling with FDA approved quit medicines boosts success, and quitting early cuts major health risks fast.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence1 stats
01
15.1% of U.S. adults aged 18+ were current cigarette smokers in 2016–2018
Interpretation
Prevalence Interpretation
In the Prevalence category, 15.1% of U.S. adults aged 18 and older were current cigarette smokers during 2016 to 2018, showing that cigarette smoking remains a sizable share of the adult population.
02 · Category
User Adoption1 stats
01
The CDC reports 1 in 5 smokers use behavioral support for quitting (survey-based; share using counseling)
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
Under the User Adoption category, only 1 in 5 smokers turn to behavioral support for quitting, showing that adoption of counseling remains limited.
03 · Category
Behavioral Patterns1 stats
01
3.1% of U.S. adults were current smokers who used both cigarettes and e-cigarettes (2016–2022 estimate)
Interpretation
Behavioral Patterns Interpretation
For the behavioral patterns behind quitting smoking, 3.1% of U.S. adults were still current smokers who used both cigarettes and e-cigarettes from 2016 to 2022, showing that dual use remains a notable challenge.
04 · Category
Effectiveness1 stats
01
A systematic review found that adding counseling to pharmacotherapy increases smoking cessation rates
Interpretation
Effectiveness Interpretation
For the Effectiveness category, a systematic review shows that combining counseling with pharmacotherapy boosts smoking cessation rates, highlighting that pairing support with medication can improve quit outcomes.
05 · Category
Program Impact2 stats
01
In 2021, the National Quitline had a 74% reach rate for follow-up (returned contacts percentage)
02
In the U.S., the Quitline network provides services in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and several U.S. territories
Interpretation
Program Impact Interpretation
Under Program Impact, the National Quitline’s strong 74% follow-up reach rate in 2021 suggests effective continuity after initial contact, reinforced by its nationwide coverage across all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and multiple U.S. territories.
06 · Category
Health & Mortality3 stats
01
Quitting smoking before age 50 reduces risk of premature death compared with continuing to smoke (pooled evidence reported in the NEJM study)
02
WHO states that without tobacco control, tobacco will cause more than 8 million deaths per year by 2030
03
The U.S. National Cancer Institute states that quitting smoking reduces health risks substantially within months and years (risk reduction timeline)
Interpretation
Health & Mortality Interpretation
From a Health and Mortality perspective, quitting smoking before age 50 cuts the risk of premature death versus continuing to smoke while WHO warns that without stronger tobacco control tobacco could still drive more than 8 million deaths each year by 2030.
More related reading
07 · Category
Policy & Guidelines4 stats
01
US Surgeon General’s report on smoking cessation states that effective treatments include counseling and FDA-approved pharmacotherapy (including NRT, varenicline, and bupropion)
02
The U.S. FDA lists nicotine replacement therapy products as first-line cessation aids (NRT)
03
Varenicline (Chantix) was approved by FDA to help people quit smoking (2006 approval)
04
Bupropion SR (Zyban) approval by FDA for smoking cessation (1997 approval)
Interpretation
Policy & Guidelines Interpretation
Policy and guidelines in the United States emphasize FDA-backed cessation options, with the Surgeon General specifically highlighting counseling plus approved pharmacotherapy and the FDA designating NRT as first line while approving varenicline in 2006 and bupropion SR in 1997 to support quitting.
08 · Category
Market Size3 stats
01
In 2023, the global smoking cessation market was $1.8B (varied by definition; vendor/industry estimate), reflecting demand for cessation products
02
In 2024, the U.S. smoking cessation products market was forecast to reach $3.1B (vendor market forecast)
03
The global smoking cessation services market was estimated at $6.1B in 2023 (services market estimate)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
For the market size angle, smoking cessation demand appears to be scaling from $1.8B globally in 2023 to a projected $3.1B in the US by 2024, while global services were already estimated at $6.1B in 2023, signaling a large and growing opportunity across products and services.
09 · Category
Program Effectiveness1 stats
01
In a large randomized trial, adding behavioral support to nicotine patch increased continuous abstinence at 6 months from 8.1% to 14.6% (absolute effect, intervention vs control).
Interpretation
Program Effectiveness Interpretation
Under Program Effectiveness, adding behavioral support to nicotine patches nearly doubled continuous abstinence at 6 months, rising from 8.1% to 14.6%.
10 · Category
Market Trends5 stats
01
The global tobacco cessation market was valued at $3.3 billion in 2024 (industry estimate; market size).
02
The U.S. smoking cessation products market is forecast to reach $3.1 billion in 2024 (industry forecast; products market size).
03
The U.S. market for nicotine replacement therapy products generated about $1.0 billion in 2023 (industry estimate; NRT product revenues).
04
The global nicotine replacement therapy market is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 6% from 2024 to 2030 (industry forecast).
05
The European smoking cessation market is expected to reach $1.4 billion by 2030 (industry forecast; regional market size).
Interpretation
Market Trends Interpretation
The market trends show strong momentum for quitting smoking, with the global tobacco cessation market reaching $3.3 billion in 2024 and the global nicotine replacement therapy market forecast to grow at about 6% CAGR from 2024 to 2030.
11 · Category
Policy & Costs3 stats
01
The U.S. Office on Smoking and Health estimates that more than 6.7 million adults alive today suffer from a disease caused by smoking (smoking-related disease burden).
02
Direct medical costs for smoking in the U.S. were estimated at $132 billion in 2021 (medical care).
03
A review in Health Economics found that smoking cessation pharmacotherapy generally has favorable cost-effectiveness, with many interventions falling below $50,000per QALY in modeled settings (economic evaluation summary).
Interpretation
Policy & Costs Interpretation
From a Policy & Costs perspective, smoking still burdens the U.S. with over 6.7 million adults living with smoking-caused disease while direct medical costs reached $132 billion in 2021, yet smoking cessation therapies often prove cost-effective in modeled analyses with many options under $50,000 per QALY.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Karl Becker. (2026, February 13). Quit Smoking Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/quit-smoking-statistics
MLA
Karl Becker. "Quit Smoking Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/quit-smoking-statistics.
Chicago
Karl Becker. 2026. "Quit Smoking Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/quit-smoking-statistics.
Sources & references
25 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+7 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)