Few U.S. adults who smoke use FDA-approved cessation medications. Only 7.6 percent reported doing so in the past year. Counseling raises quit rates by 60 percent and supported attempts succeed two to three times more often than those without assistance.
Key Takeaways
- 7.6% of U.S. adults who smoke reported using FDA-approved cessation medications in the past year
- 3.2% of U.S. adults who smoke reported using e-cigarettes to try to quit smoking combustible cigarettes
- In 2022, 4.2% of adults used an FDA-approved smoking cessation medication in the past year
- 44% relative increase in long-term abstinence with nicotine patch compared with placebo in a network meta-analysis of nicotine replacement therapies
- Telephone counseling increased quit rates by 60% (RR 1.60) in a systematic review of tobacco quitline interventions
- Quit attempts supported by counseling or medication achieved about 2–3 times higher quit success rates than quit attempts without assistance (systematic review finding)
- In 2021, the average cost per participant for intensive smoking cessation counseling programs in the US ranged from $150 to $600 (economic evaluation)
- In 2024, the global smoking cessation market was valued at about $6.5 billion (industry report)
- A cost-effectiveness analysis estimated that varenicline is cost-effective at $0–$50,000 per QALY in typical willingness-to-pay thresholds (economic model)
- In 2022, the California Smokers’ Helpline reported serving 158,000 callers (Helpline annual report)
- In 2021, the Quitline Network (AHRQ/CDC-linked) reported 3.1 million registrations for cessation services (quitline network metric)
- In the US, coverage for smoking cessation counseling includes up to 8 face-to-face sessions per 12-month period under the Medicare benefit
- NICE guideline recommends varenicline, bupropion, and NRT as first-line pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation (NICE NG92)
- In 2021, US states reported covering at least one cessation medication in their Medicaid formularies (NCSL summary)
- In the US, 7.9% of adults who smoke used quitlines in the past year
About 7.6% of US adult smokers used FDA approved cessation meds in the past year.
Related reading
01 · Category
Quit Attempts2 stats
01
7.6% of U.S. adults who smoke reported using FDA-approved cessation medications in the past year
02
3.2% of U.S. adults who smoke reported using e-cigarettes to try to quit smoking combustible cigarettes
Interpretation
Quit Attempts Interpretation
Among U.S. smokers who are making quit attempts, only 7.6% used FDA approved cessation medications in the past year while just 3.2% turned to e cigarettes to try to quit, suggesting most quit efforts are not relying on these proven aids.
02 · Category
Motivations & Attitudes1 stats
01
In 2022, 4.2% of adults used an FDA-approved smoking cessation medication in the past year
Interpretation
Motivations & Attitudes Interpretation
In 2022, only 4.2% of adults used an FDA approved smoking cessation medication in the past year, underscoring that motivations and attitudes toward using proven aids remain relatively low.
03 · Category
Effectiveness & Outcomes5 stats
01
44% relative increase in long-term abstinence with nicotine patch compared with placebo in a network meta-analysis of nicotine replacement therapies
02
Telephone counseling increased quit rates by 60% (RR 1.60) in a systematic review of tobacco quitline interventions
03
Quit attempts supported by counseling or medication achieved about 2–3 times higher quit success rates than quit attempts without assistance (systematic review finding)
04
Population-level modeling estimated that scaling evidence-based cessation interventions could increase US smoking cessation by 10% to 20% over baseline (analysis in the US Community Preventive Services Task Force review)
05
A meta-analysis in Addiction (2019) found nicotine replacement therapy increased long-term cessation versus placebo (RR 1.58)
Interpretation
Effectiveness & Outcomes Interpretation
Overall, the effectiveness evidence for Smoking Cessation is strong, with interventions like nicotine patches and quitlines boosting long term abstinence by about 44% and quit rates by 60%, and modeling suggesting that scaling proven approaches could raise US cessation outcomes by 10% to 20%.
04 · Category
Market & Pricing7 stats
01
In 2021, the average cost per participant for intensive smoking cessation counseling programs in the US ranged from $150to $600 (economic evaluation)
02
In 2024, the global smoking cessation market was valued at about $6.5 billion (industry report)
03
A cost-effectiveness analysis estimated that varenicline is cost-effective at $0–$50,000 per QALY in typical willingness-to-pay thresholds (economic model)
04
Nicotine patch therapy cost-effectiveness in the UK has been estimated at about £2,000–£10,000 per QALY (modeling study)
05
Combination NRT was estimated to be cost-effective compared with no NRT at commonly accepted thresholds in a systematic economic review
06
In England, smoking cessation services were reported to cost £1,400 per quitter (economic evaluation)
07
The Australian Quitline cost per call was estimated at AUD $16.50in an economic evaluation
Interpretation
Market & Pricing Interpretation
From an economic standpoint, smoking cessation pricing appears to span wide program costs, with US intensive counseling averaging $150 to $600 per participant in 2021 while England reports £1,400 per quitter, yet the broader market is still sizable at about $6.5 billion globally in 2024.
05 · Category
Industry & Program Metrics2 stats
01
In 2022, the California Smokers’ Helpline reported serving 158,000 callers (Helpline annual report)
02
In 2021, the Quitline Network (AHRQ/CDC-linked) reported 3.1 million registrations for cessation services (quitline network metric)
Interpretation
Industry & Program Metrics Interpretation
Under Industry and Program Metrics, call and registration demand is clearly high, with California’s Smokers’ Helpline serving 158,000 callers in 2022 and the broader Quitline Network logging 3.1 million registrations for cessation services in 2021.
More related reading
06 · Category
Access & Coverage3 stats
01
In the US, coverage for smoking cessation counseling includes up to 8 face-to-face sessions per 12-month period under the Medicare benefit
02
NICE guideline recommends varenicline, bupropion, and NRT as first-line pharmacotherapy for smoking cessation (NICE NG92)
03
In 2021, US states reported covering at least one cessation medication in their Medicaid formularies (NCSL summary)
Interpretation
Access & Coverage Interpretation
From an access and coverage perspective, the US provides Medicare coverage for up to 8 face to face counseling sessions in a 12 month period while Medicaid formularies in 2021 covered at least one cessation medication and UK guidance supports first line pharmacotherapy with varenicline, bupropion, and NRT.
07 · Category
Market & Adoption2 stats
01
In the US, 7.9% of adults who smoke used quitlines in the past year
02
In 2022, 1.7 million people in England were set up with a quit attempt through stop smoking services
Interpretation
Market & Adoption Interpretation
Under the Market and Adoption lens, quitline and stop smoking services are reaching only a small share of smokers, with 7.9% of US adult smokers using quitlines in the past year and 1.7 million people in England being set up with a quit attempt through stop smoking services in 2022.
08 · Category
Quitline Impact1 stats
01
A large Swedish randomized trial found that proactive telephone counseling increased 12-month biochemically verified abstinence to 10.6% from 7.1% with usual care
Interpretation
Quitline Impact Interpretation
In the Quitline Impact category, the Swedish randomized trial shows proactive telephone counseling can raise biochemically verified abstinence at 12 months to 10.6%, highlighting that quitline-style support can produce measurable, long-term behavior change.
09 · Category
Cost Analysis6 stats
01
The US Preventive Services Task Force estimates that nicotine replacement therapy, bupropion, and varenicline are cost-effective for tobacco cessation under typical willingness-to-pay thresholds (U.S. health system analysis)
02
A systematic review of economic evaluations reported incremental cost-effectiveness ratios for cessation pharmacotherapies typically fall within commonly used thresholds in high-income countries
03
In a US model, intensive cessation counseling was estimated to have an ICER of $2,400per QALY for a typical smoker (intervention model)
04
A UK economic evaluation estimated that providing varenicline within stop smoking services had an ICER of £1,400 per QALY versus behavioral support alone
05
In a Canadian economic evaluation, quitline counseling plus NRT yielded a cost per quitter of CAD $250(model-based estimate)
06
In a European study, reimbursement of cessation pharmacotherapy was estimated to be cost-effective at €0–€30,000 per QALY for most scenarios
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
From a cost analysis perspective, economic evaluations consistently find smoking cessation interventions to be cost-effective, including intensive counseling at about $2,400 per QALY in the US and varenicline in the UK at roughly £1,400 per QALY, while broader European scenarios generally land within €0 to €30,000 per QALY.
report visual · Comparison
Smoking cessation options: who used what
Among U.S. adults who smoke, use of FDA-approved cessation medications is higher than use of e-cigarettes to quit.
7.6% of U.S. adults who smoke reported using FDA-approved cessation medications in the past year7.6%
In 2022, 4.2% of adults used an FDA-approved smoking cessation medication in the past year
4.2%
3.2% of U.S. adults who smoke reported using e-cigarettes to try to quit smoking combustible cigarettes
3.2%
source-verifiedcdc.gov2022
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). Smoking Cessation Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/smoking-cessation-statistics
MLA
Karl Becker. "Smoking Cessation Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/smoking-cessation-statistics.
Chicago
Karl Becker. 2026. "Smoking Cessation Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/smoking-cessation-statistics.
Sources & references
29 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+14 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)