Among risk factors, tobacco use is one of the most clearly damaging to health. Smoking contributes to a variety of non-communicable diseases, including cancer, heart disease, stroke, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes. The greatest health risks occur in countries where smoking is pervasive and where smokers consume a large quantity of cigarettes.
Global Burden of Disease research has found that over the past 30 years, smoking prevalence – the percent of smokers in a population – has decreased, but the number of cigarette smokers worldwide has increased because of population growth. In most countries, men are more likely to smoke than women; in several countries, including Russia and Indonesia, over 50% of men are smokers. Our Tobacco Burden visualization shows trends in smoking prevalence worldwide and by country.
In the US, smoking rates have decreased since 1996, but the declines are concentrated in a small number of counties. People who live in areas with higher incomes tend to smoke less over time than those who live in lower-income counties. Our US Health Map shows rates of smoking by US county for males and females from 1996 to 2012.
This interactive data visualization tool shows modeled trends in smoking prevalence worldwide and by country for the years 1980 to 2015. Data were derived from nationally representative sources that measured tobacco use.
Globally, smoking prevalence — the percentage of the population that smokes every day — has decreased, but the number of cigarette smokers worldwide has increased due to population growth, according to new research from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington.
Globally, smoking prevalence — the percentage of the population that smokes every day — has decreased, but the number of cigarette smokers worldwide has increased due to population growth.