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June 21, 2024 Graphics/Design:

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Mapped: 15 Countries with the Highest Smoking Rates

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It was not until 1950 when the link between smoking and lung cancer was proven, though physicians as far back as the late 19th century had identified it as a potential cause.

Since then, many countries have discouraged tobacco products in an attempt to reduce smoking rates, and consequent health effects.

We visualize the countries with the highest rates of tobacco use among their population aged 15 and older. Data is sourced from the World Health Organization, and is current up to 2022.

Which Countries Smoke the Most?

In Nauru, nearly half of the population aged 15+ uses a tobacco product, the highest in the world. The island also has a high obesity rate, and nearly one-third of the population suffers from diabetes, due to poor nutritional variety in the food supply.

Here’s a list of smoking rates by country, ranked from highest to lowest.

RankCountryTobacco use in
those aged 15+ 1🇳🇷 Nauru48% 2🇲🇲 Myanmar44% 3🇰🇮 Kiribati40% 4🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea40% 5🇧🇬 Bulgaria40% 6🇷🇸 Serbia40% 7🇹🇱 Timor-Leste39% 8🇮🇩 Indonesia38% 9🇭🇷 Croatia37% 10🇸🇧 Solomon Islands37% 11🇦🇩 Andorra36% 12🇧🇦 Bosnia &
Herzegovina36% 13🇨🇾 Cyprus36% 14🇯🇴 Jordan36% 15🇫🇷 France35% N/A🌍 World23%
Note: Figures rounded. “Tobacco use” includes smoke and smokeless products.

Meanwhile, countries in the Balkan also see a high incidence of tobacco use, bucking the general European trend. Entrenched cultural norms, lax laws, and inexpensive cigarettes are some of the most commonly identified causes.

On the other hand, tobacco use is a lot lower in the Americas and sub-Saharan Africa.

In the U.S., fewer than one in four adults smoke. Canada is even lower at 12% of the population. But some African countries (Nigeria and Ghana) are all the way down in the single-digits, at 3%.

Interestingly, men smoke more than women