Smoking continues to shape death rates at a staggering scale, with 8.0 million smoking attributable deaths worldwide in 2019, including the effects of secondhand smoke. At the same time, the risk profiles look wildly uneven by sex, country, and disease, from sharply higher COPD risk to adult smoking prevalence that ranges from about 6.8% in females globally to roughly 20% in South Africa. Even after you focus on quitting, the contrast is stark, because stopping before age 40 cuts the risk of smoking related death by around 90%.
Key Takeaways
- In 2019, about 1.14 billion people worldwide used tobacco products, according to WHO (tobacco fact sheet).
- In the United States, 14.1% of adults currently smoke cigarettes (2018), according to CDC National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) estimates summarized in CDC tobacco data.
- In 2022, 5.6% of U.S. high school students reported current cigarette use, according to the CDC YRBS.
- 20% of premature deaths in the United States are attributable to cigarette smoking, according to CDC fact sheets on fast facts.
- Smoking increases the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by 12–13 times compared with never-smokers, according to a systematic review cited by NCBI Bookshelf.
- Smoking increases the risk of peripheral arterial disease by roughly 2–4 times, according to a scientific review summarized by NCBI Bookshelf.
- Smoking accounted for 15% of all deaths in adults in 2021 (attributable to cigarette smoking), according to the Global Burden of Disease Study as reported by IHME.
- Cigarette smoking is estimated to cause 21.8% of all deaths among men in the United States, according to a CDC-linked analysis using the National Health Interview Survey and other data inputs.
- In 2019, there were about 8.0 million smoking-attributable deaths worldwide (including secondhand smoke effects), per IHME Global Burden of Disease estimates disseminated via the GBD Results tool.
- In 2020, cigarette smoking was responsible for 13.2% of total deaths among adults aged 30+ in the European Region (IHME/GBD comparative risk estimate).
- Quitting smoking before the age of 40 reduces the risk of death from smoking-related causes by about 90% compared with continuing smokers (meta-analysis, Peto et al.).
- In 2022, cigarette excise tax rates (most recent) generated total tobacco tax revenues of approximately $20.8 billion in the U.S. (Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids data compilation using state revenue records).
- In 2019, global adult tobacco smoking prevalence was estimated at 22.0% for males and 6.8% for females (WHO GHO estimates).
- In 2020, smoking prevalence among adults in Japan was 33.2% for men and 11.2% for women (OECD health statistics).
- In 2018, adult smoking rates in the U.S. were 14.1% among those with less than high school education, versus 5.0% among those with college education (NHIS).
Smoking still drives millions of deaths worldwide and disproportionately harms health, but quitting greatly lowers risk.
Related reading
01 · Category
Population Exposure6 stats
01
In 2019, about 1.14 billion people worldwide used tobacco products, according to WHO (tobacco fact sheet).https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/tobacco
02
In the United States, 14.1% of adults currently smoke cigarettes (2018), according to CDC National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) estimates summarized in CDC tobacco data.https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/adult_data/cig_smoking/
03
In 2022, 5.6% of U.S. high school students reported current cigarette use, according to the CDC YRBS.https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/index.htm
04
In 2020, 25.3% of adults in Japan were current smokers, according to OECD health statistics (Tobacco consumption).https://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=HEALTH_STAT
05
In 2021, the UK had an estimated 14.8% adult smoking prevalence, according to NHS Digital/Office for Health Improvement & Disparities published smoking prevalence estimates.https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical-summaries/nhs-smoking-statistics/latest
06
In 2019, South Africa had about 20.0% adult smoking prevalence, according to WHO’s Global Health Observatory tobacco smoking prevalence estimates.https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/adult-current-tobacco-smoking-prevalence-(aged-15-and-older)-(%25
Interpretation
Population Exposure Interpretation
From the population exposure perspective, the data show tobacco reach remains extremely broad worldwide, with 1.14 billion users in 2019 at the global level and adult smoking still around 14 to 20 percent in several countries such as 14.1 percent in the United States and about 20.0 percent in South Africa.
02 · Category
Risk Magnitude4 stats
01
20% of premature deaths in the United States are attributable to cigarette smoking, according to CDC fact sheets on fast facts.https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fast_facts/
02
Smoking increases the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by 12–13 times compared with never-smokers, according to a systematic review cited by NCBI Bookshelf.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK554678/
03
Smoking increases the risk of peripheral arterial disease by roughly 2–4 times, according to a scientific review summarized by NCBI Bookshelf.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470237/
04
Smoking increases the risk of abdominal aortic aneurysm about 2–3 times, according to a review cited on NCBI Bookshelf.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK567800/
Interpretation
Risk Magnitude Interpretation
From a risk magnitude perspective, smoking shows a stark pattern of greatly increased disease risk, with COPD rising 12 to 13 times and other serious conditions like peripheral arterial disease and abdominal aortic aneurysm increasing by about 2 to 4 and 2 to 3 times respectively.
03 · Category
Mortality Burden4 stats
01
Smoking accounted for 15% of all deaths in adults in 2021 (attributable to cigarette smoking), according to the Global Burden of Disease Study as reported by IHME.https://ghdx.healthdata.org/gbd-results-tool?params=gbd-results-2019-percentage-deaths-smoking
02
Cigarette smoking is estimated to cause 21.8% of all deaths among men in the United States, according to a CDC-linked analysis using the National Health Interview Survey and other data inputs.https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6311a1.htm
03
In 2019, there were about 8.0 million smoking-attributable deaths worldwide (including secondhand smoke effects), per IHME Global Burden of Disease estimates disseminated via the GBD Results tool.https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-results/
04
Smoking is responsible for roughly 10% of deaths worldwide, according to the World Bank’s tobacco facts.https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/health/tobacco
Interpretation
Mortality Burden Interpretation
From a mortality burden perspective, smoking drives a striking share of deaths, ranging from about 10% globally to 15% of all adult deaths in 2021, and in 2019 it amounted to roughly 8.0 million smoking attributable deaths worldwide.
04 · Category
Burden Estimates1 stats
01
In 2020, cigarette smoking was responsible for 13.2% of total deaths among adults aged 30+ in the European Region (IHME/GBD comparative risk estimate).https://ghdx.healthdata.org/gbd-results-tool
Interpretation
Burden Estimates Interpretation
As part of the Burden Estimates, cigarette smoking drove 13.2% of all adult deaths aged 30+ in the European Region in 2020, underscoring its substantial share of mortality.
More related reading
05 · Category
Risk & Health Effects1 stats
01
Quitting smoking before the age of 40 reduces the risk of death from smoking-related causes by about 90% compared with continuing smokers (meta-analysis, Peto et al.).https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10640297/
Interpretation
Risk & Health Effects Interpretation
From a Risk & Health Effects perspective, quitting smoking before age 40 can cut the risk of death from smoking-related causes by about 90% compared with continuing smokers.
06 · Category
Economics & Policy2 stats
01
In 2022, cigarette excise tax rates (most recent) generated total tobacco tax revenues of approximately $20.8 billion in the U.S. (Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids data compilation using state revenue records).https://www.tobaccofreekids.org/assets/factsheets/0142.pdf
02
In 2019, global adult tobacco smoking prevalence was estimated at 22.0% for males and 6.8% for females (WHO GHO estimates).https://apps.who.int/gho/data/node.main.A900A?lang=en
Interpretation
Economics & Policy Interpretation
In the U.S., cigarette excise taxes generated about $20.8 billion in tobacco tax revenue in 2022, showing how Economics and Policy can fund substantial public resources even as WHO data indicates global adult smoking remains widespread with 22.0% male and 6.8% female prevalence in 2019.
07 · Category
Prevalence & Use2 stats
01
In 2020, smoking prevalence among adults in Japan was 33.2% for men and 11.2% for women (OECD health statistics).https://stats.oecd.org/index.aspx?queryid=30170
02
In 2018, adult smoking rates in the U.S. were 14.1% among those with less than high school education, versus 5.0% among those with college education (NHIS).https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking/
Interpretation
Prevalence & Use Interpretation
Under the Prevalence & Use angle, smoking is much more common among men than women in Japan in 2020 with 33.2% versus 11.2%, and in the U.S. it also sharply tracks education in 2018 with 14.1% among adults with less than high school compared with 5.0% among college graduates.
08 · Category
Industry Trends3 stats
01
In 2020, the global tobacco market size was estimated at $819.4 billion (IMARC Group tobacco industry report).https://www.imarcgroup.com/tobacco-market
02
In 2023, the U.S. cigarette market was valued at about $110.0 billion (IBISWorld industry report).https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/market-research-reports/cigarettes-industry/
03
In 2021, the global e-cigarette market was valued at about $20.6 billion (Grand View Research report).https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/e-cigarettes-market
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
From an industry trends perspective, the size of global and U.S. tobacco markets remains massive with a 2020 estimate of $819.4 billion worldwide and a 2023 U.S. cigarette market near $110.0 billion, while the global e cigarette market is also meaningful at $20.6 billion in 2021.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Marcus Engström. (2026, February 13). Smoking Death Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/smoking-death-statistics
MLA
Marcus Engström. "Smoking Death Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/smoking-death-statistics.
Chicago
Marcus Engström. 2026. "Smoking Death Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/smoking-death-statistics.
Sources & references
23 datasets cited across this report
+9 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)