Smoking is a habit of people from around the world. It involves utilizing cigars, cigarettes, and other products using cured tobacco leaves. Smokers have many different reasons for taking in their habit. Many affirm that they smoke because they feel relieved from stress caused by their day-to-day activities. Smokers also remark that they appreciate the pleasure and belongingness they feel in social scenarios every time they smoke cigarettes or cigars.
Despite the positive feelings smokers get from smoking, this practice has proven to be a harmful one. Smoking-related deaths are a fact of life, yet many still find it challenging to kick the unhealthy habit. In this article, readers will learn more about smoking and the countries where there are high concentrations of smokers. CEOWORLD magazine’s researchers also provided details about the future of smoking.
Why do people smoke?
Smokers who have been smoking for a long time usually find it challenging to go “cold turkey,” or suddenly cease their habit and avoid it for good. After all, smoking is highly addictive because of the presence of nicotine. This stimulant in tobacco leaves is fast absorbed into the human bloodstream when a person inhales cigar or cigarette smoke. Then, within 10 seconds, nicotine commences impacting the brain and triggering several chemical reactions. The latter induce temporary feelings of concentration and pleasure, which makes smokers want to smoke more.
Additionally, nicotine makes the brain release dopamine, which is a chemical that makes smokers feel glad, helps them focus, and provides them with more energy. Nevertheless, these positive sensations do not last long and subside after a couple of minutes.
Why should smokers quit their habit?
If a smoker wants to become healthy, he must quit smoking. After all, this habit is highly toxic. The World Health Organization confirmed that tobacco smoking is the cause of death of over 8 million people annually. This fact comprises smokers and non-smokers who inhale second-hand smoke. In the United States, smoking is the primary cause of death, disability, and preventable diseases among people, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The likelihood of getting cancers of the mouth and lungs is attributed to tobacco use.
Moreover, smoking causes cardiovascular ailments such as heart attack, heart disease, and stroke. Chainsmokers suffer from gum and tooth decay and get inconvenienced by blood clots and wrinkled skin. With these hazards caused by using cigarettes, cigars, and other smoking products, it is common for health departments worldwide to warn the public about the harms of smoking.
Which countries have the highest smoking incidence?
Countries with the Highest Smoking Rates, 2024
| Rank | Country | Region | Population | Smoking Rate (Total) | Smoking Rate (Male) | Smoking Rate (Feamal) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nauru | Micronesia | 11,680 | 52.10% | 51.70% | 52.60% |
| 2 | Kenya | Eastern Africa | 51,526,000 | 52% | 68.60% | 35.50% |
| 3 | Tuvalu | Polynesia | 10,679 | 48.70% | 66% | 31.40% |
| 4 | Myanmar | Southeastern Asia | 55,770,232 | 45.50% | 70.20% | 20.80% |
| 5 | Chile | South America | 19,960,889 | 44.70% | 49.20% | 40.30% |
| 6 | Lebanon | West Asia | 5,490,000 | 42.60% | 49.40% | 35.90% |
| 7 | Serbia | Southeastern Europe (Balkans) | 6,641,197 | 40.60% | 40% | 41.20% |
| 8 | Bangladesh | Southern Asia | 169,828,911 | 39.10% | 60.60% | 17.70% |
| 9 | Greece | Southeastern Europe (Balkans) | 10,413,982 | 39.10% | 45.30% | 32.80% |
| 10 | Bulgaria | Southeastern Europe (Balkans) | 6,447,710 | 38.90% | 42.50% | 35.30% |
| 11 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | Southeastern Europe (Balkans) | 3,277,082 | 38.30% | 46.30% | 30.20% |
| 12 | Indonesia | Southeastern Asia | 279,118,866 | 37.90% | 70.50% | 5.30% |
| 13 | Solomon Islands | Melanesia | 734,887 | 37.90% | 55.90% | 19.90% |
| 14 | Laos | Southeastern Asia | 7,443,000 | 37.80% | 60.10% | 15.50% |
| 15 | Latvia | Northern Europe | 1,874,700 | 36.70% | 49.50% | 24% |
| 16 | Cyprus | West Asia | 918,100 | 36.70% | 50.10% | 23.30% |
| 17 | Croatia | Southeastern Europe (Balkans) | 3,855,641 | 36.60% | 37.90% | 35.30% |
| 18 | France | Western Europe | 68,373,000 | 34.60% | 36% | 33.20% |
| 19 | Andorra | Southern Europe | 83,523 | 33.80% | 38.10% | 29.50% |
| 20 | Slovakia | Central Europe | 5,426,468 | 32.30% | 38.60% | 26% |
| 21 | Nepal | Southern Asia | 29,164,578 | 31.90% | 48.60% | 15.30% |
| 22 | South Africa | Southern Africa | 62,027,503 | 31.40% | 46.80% | 16% |
| 23 | Hungary | Central Europe | 9,597,085 | 30.60% | 34.80% | 26.40% |
| 24 | Estonia | Northern Europe | 1,365,884 | 30.50% | 36.90% | 24.10% |
| 25 | Tonga | Polynesia | 100,179 | 30.20% | 48.40% | 12.10% |
| 26 | Georgia | Eastern Europe | 3,736,400 | 29.70% | 54.20% | 5.20% |
| 27 | Lesotho | Southern Africa | 2,306,000 | 29.70% | 54.70% | 4.60% |
| 28 | Turkey | West Asia | 85,279,553 | 29.30% | 41.50% | 17% |
| 29 | Albania | Southeastern Europe (Balkans) | 2,761,785 | 29.20% | 50.50% | 7.90% |
| 30 | Austria | Central Europe | 9,154,514 | 29.10% | 30.40% | 27.70% |
| 31 | Madagascar | Eastern Africa | 26,923,353 | 28.90% | 46.90% | 11% |
| 32 | Samoa | Polynesia | 205,557 | 28.90% | 40.80% | 16.90% |
| 33 | Russia | Eastern Europe | 146,424,729 | 28.30% | 40.90% | 15.70% |
| 34 | Germany | Central Europe | 84,607,016 | 28% | 29.90% | 26% |
| 35 | Spain | Southern Europe | 48,345,223 | 27.90% | 29.10% | 26.70% |
| 36 | Portugal | Southern Europe | 10,467,366 | 27.90% | 33.30% | 22.40% |
| 37 | Kyrgyzstan | Central Asia | 7,100,000 | 27.90% | 52.50% | 3.40% |
| 38 | Mongolia | Eastern Asia | 3,457,548 | 27.60% | 49.10% | 6.20% |
| 39 | Cuba | Caribbean | 11,089,511 | 27.10% | 39.70% | 14.50% |
| 40 | Lithuania | Northern Europe | 2,869,660 | 27.10% | 35.30% | 19% |
| 41 | India | Southern Asia | 1,392,329,000 | 27% | 42% | 12.10% |
| 42 | Mauritius | Eastern Africa | 1,261,041 | 26.90% | 48.30% | 5.40% |
| 43 | Armenia | West Asia | 2,981,200 | 26.70% | 51.80% | 1.60% |
| 44 | Fiji | Melanesia | 893,468 | 26.70% | 42.30% | 11.10% |
| 45 | Belarus | Eastern Europe | 9,200,617 | 26.60% | 42.80% | 10.40% |
| 46 | Poland | Central Europe | 37,667,000 | 26% | 30.30% | 21.60% |
| 47 | Tunisia | Northern Africa | 11,850,232 | 26% | 49.10% | 2.90% |
| 48 | Ukraine | Eastern Europe | 41,130,432 | 25.50% | 41% | 9.90% |
| 49 | Romania | Southeastern Europe (Balkans) | 19,051,562 | 25.50% | 35.20% | 15.80% |
| 50 | Israel | West Asia | 9,827,000 | 25.50% | 35.20% | 15.80% |
| 51 | Moldova | Southeastern Europe (Balkans) | 2,512,758 | 25.30% | 44.60% | 6% |
| 52 | United States | North America | 335,893,238 | 25.10% | 30.90% | 19.30% |
| 53 | Switzerland | Western Europe | 8,931,306 | 25.10% | 27.80% | 22.50% |
| 54 | Bahrain | West Asia | 1,577,059 | 25.10% | 41.50% | 8.60% |
| 55 | Malta | Southern Europe | 519,562 | 25.10% | 27.80% | 22.50% |
| 56 | Belgium | Western Europe | 11,801,722 | 25% | 26.90% | 23.10% |
| 57 | China | Eastern Asia | 1,409,670,000 | 24.70% | 47.70% | 1.80% |
| 58 | Japan | West Asia | 124,240,000 | 24.40% | 42.20% | 6.60% |
| 59 | Philippines | Southeastern Asia | 112,892,781 | 24.30% | 41.60% | 7% |
| 60 | Vanuatu | Melanesia | 301,295 | 24.10% | 45% | 3.30% |
| 61 | Botswana | Southern Africa | 2,410,338 | 23.70% | 37.30% | 10.10% |
| 62 | Palau | Micronesia | 16,733 | 23.70% | 36.30% | 11.20% |
| 63 | Ireland | Western Europe | 5,281,600 | 23.60% | 26.10% | 21.20% |
| 64 | Italy | Southern Europe | 58,919,345 | 23.40% | 27.10% | 19.60% |
| 65 | Netherlands | Western Europe | 17,590,000 | 23.40% | 25.60% | 21.30% |
| 66 | Sri Lanka | Southern Asia | 22,037,000 | 22.90% | 43.20% | 2.70% |
| 67 | Thailand | Southeastern Asia | 68,263,022 | 22.80% | 42.50% | 3.10% |
| 68 | Slovenia | Southeastern Europe (Balkans) | 2,120,937 | 22.70% | 25.10% | 20.30% |
| 69 | Iraq | West Asia | 43,324,000 | 22.20% | 40.80% | 3.60% |
| 70 | Kuwait | West Asia | 4,670,713 | 22.10% | 40.90% | 3.40% |
| 71 | South Korea | Eastern Asia | 51,439,038 | 22% | 38.20% | 5.90% |
| 72 | Jamaica | Eastern Asia | 2,825,544 | 21.90% | 33.20% | 10.50% |
| 73 | Argentina | South America | 46,654,581 | 21.80% | 28.20% | 15.40% |
| 74 | Malaysia | Southeastern Asia | 33,379,500 | 21.80% | 42.70% | 1% |
| 75 | Cambodia | Southeastern Asia | 17,091,464 | 21.80% | 37.40% | 6.30% |
| 76 | Uruguay | South America | 3,444,263 | 21.80% | 25.20% | 18.40% |
| 77 | Luxembourg | Western Europe | 660,809 | 21.70% | 23.60% | 19.80% |
| 78 | Egypt | Northern Africa | 104,462,545 | 21.40% | 42.30% | 0.40% |
| 79 | Seychelles | Eastern Africa | 100,447 | 21.10% | 35.30% | 6.90% |
| 80 | Yemen | West Asia | 31,888,698 | 20.90% | 32.50% | 9.30% |
| 81 | Pakistan | Southern Asia | 241,499,431 | 20% | 33.60% | 6.40% |
| 82 | Sierra Leone | Western Africa | 8,494,260 | 19.80% | 31% | 8.50% |
| 83 | Finland | Northern Europe | 5,572,545 | 19.70% | 21% | 18.30% |
| 84 | Azerbaijan | West Asia | 10,151,517 | 19.60% | 39% | 0.20% |
| 85 | Comoros | Eastern Africa | 758,316 | 19.50% | 29.90% | 9.20% |
| 86 | United Kingdom | Western Europe | 67,026,292 | 19.20% | 21.10% | 17.30% |
| 87 | Algeria | Northern Africa | 45,400,000 | 18.80% | 36.30% | 1.40% |
| 88 | North Korea | Eastern Asia | 25,660,000 | 18.80% | 37.50% | |
| 89 | Denmark | Northern Europe | 5,959,464 | 18.60% | 18.40% | 18.70% |
| 90 | United Arab Emirates | West Asia | 9,282,410 | 18.20% | 35.60% | 0.80% |
| 91 | Namibia | Southern Africa | 2,641,857 | 17.90% | 28.40% | 7.40% |
| 92 | Canada | North America | 40,528,396 | 17.50% | 22.70% | 12.40% |
| 93 | Saudi Arabia | West Asia | 32,175,224 | 16.60% | 31.20% | 2% |
| 94 | Brazil | South America | 203,062,512 | 16.50% | 21.50% | 11.50% |
| 95 | Singapore | Southeastern Asia | 5,917,600 | 16.50% | 27.80% | 5.10% |
| 96 | Australia | Australasia | 26,461,912 | 16.20% | 18.70% | 13.60% |
| 97 | Burkina Faso | Western Africa | 22,185,654 | 16% | 24.90% | 7.20% |
| 98 | Brunei | Southeastern Asia | 445,400 | 15.50% | 28.60% | 2.50% |
| 99 | New Zealand | Australasia | 5,223,100 | 14.80% | 16.10% | 13.50% |
| 100 | Morocco | Northern Africa | 37,022,000 | 14.70% | 28.60% | 0.90% |
| 101 | Zambia | Eastern Africa | 19,610,769 | 14.70% | 25% | 4.40% |
| 102 | Mozambique | Eastern Africa | 32,419,747 | 14.40% | 23.40% | 5.40% |
| 103 | Gambia | Western Africa | 2,417,471 | 14.40% | 27.30% | 1.50% |
| 104 | Iran | West Asia | 84,038,000 | 14% | 24.60% | 3.50% |
| 105 | Qatar | West Asia | 2,656,032 | 14% | 26.70% | 1.30% |
| 106 | Mexico | North America | 129,406,736 | 13.90% | 21.20% | 6.50% |
| 107 | Zimbabwe | Eastern Africa | 15,178,979 | 13.90% | 26.50% | 1.30% |
| 108 | Iceland | Northern Europe | 396,960 | 13.80% | 13.90% | 13.70% |
| 109 | Tanzania | Eastern Africa | 61,741,120 | 13.30% | 23.50% | 3.10% |
| 110 | Rwanda | Eastern Africa | 13,246,394 | 13.30% | 19.70% | 6.90% |
| 111 | Norway | Northern Europe | 5,533,582 | 13% | 15.50% | 10.50% |
| 112 | Malawi | Eastern Africa | 21,507,723 | 12.80% | 20.40% | 5.20% |
| 113 | Paraguay | South America | 6,109,644 | 12.80% | 20.80% | 4.70% |
| 114 | El Salvador | Central America | 6,884,888 | 12.70% | 22.80% | 2.50% |
| 115 | Burundi | Eastern Africa | 12,837,740 | 12.60% | 18.80% | 6.40% |
| 116 | Uzbekistan | Central Asia | 36,599,764 | 12.30% | 23.30% | 1.30% |
| 117 | Guyana | South America | 743,699 | 12.20% | 22.10% | 2.20% |
| 118 | Mali | Western Africa | 22,395,489 | 12% | 22.40% | 1.70% |
| 119 | Kazakhstan | Central Asia | 20,000,000 | 11.80% | 20.80% | 2.80% |
| 120 | Chad | Central Africa | 17,414,717 | 11.80% | 21.30% | 2.30% |
| 121 | Ivory Coast | Caribbean | 29,389,150 | 11% | 17.70% | 4.20% |
| 122 | Bahamas | Caribbean | 397,360 | 10.90% | 18.60% | 3.20% |
| 123 | Eswatini | Southern Africa | 1,223,362 | 10.70% | 19.10% | 2.20% |
| 124 | Uganda | Eastern Africa | 45,562,000 | 9.80% | 15.50% | 4% |
| 125 | Costa Rica | Central America | 5,262,225 | 9.80% | 14.70% | 5% |
| 126 | Peru | South America | 33,396,698 | 9.60% | 15.60% | 3.60% |
| 127 | Oman | West Asia | 5,113,071 | 9.60% | 18.50% | 0.70% |
| 128 | Dominican Republic | Caribbean | 10,760,028 | 9.40% | 11.20% | 7.50% |
| 129 | Cameroon | Central Africa | 28,088,845 | 9.30% | 17.50% | 1.20% |
| 130 | Senegal | Western Africa | 18,275,743 | 9.10% | 17.40% | 0.70% |
| 131 | Barbados | Caribbean | 267,800 | 8.70% | 15% | 2.30% |
| 132 | Niger | Western Africa | 25,369,415 | 8.60% | 16.30% | 0.80% |
| 133 | Liberia | Western Africa | 5,248,621 | 8.40% | 15.10% | 1.80% |
| 134 | Haiti | Caribbean | 11,743,017 | 8.30% | 13.30% | 3.30% |
| 135 | Sweden | Northern Europe | 10,558,012 | 8% | 6% | 8% |
| 136 | Colombia | South America | 52,215,503 | 7.90% | 12.20% | 3.70% |
| 137 | Togo | Western Africa | 8,095,498 | 7.60% | 13.50% | 1.60% |
| 138 | Benin | Western Africa | 12,606,998 | 7.20% | 12.40% | 1.90% |
| 139 | Eritrea | Eastern Africa | 3,748,902 | 7.20% | 14.20% | 0.30% |
| 140 | Panama | Central America | 4,337,406 | 6.90% | 11.10% | 2.70% |
| 141 | São Tomé and Príncipe | Central Africa | 214,610 | 5.40% | 9.50% | 1.40% |
| 142 | Nigeria | Western Africa | 216,783,400 | 4.80% | 9% | 0.50% |
| 143 | Ethiopia | Eastern Africa | 107,334,000 | 4.60% | 8.30% | 0.90% |
| 144 | Ghana | Western Africa | 30,832,019 | 3.70% | 7% | 0.40% |
CEOWORLD magazine’s researchers included the table above, which exhibits the countries with the highest rates of smokers. In the list above, readers will find the Pacific island of Nauru dominating it, having a 52.1 percent smoking rate. In this country, 51.7 percent of its smoking population is males, and 52.6 percent are females. Kenya follows Nauru on the top 10 list above at 52 percent. 68.6 percent of the males in this Pacific island are smokers, while 35.5 percent are females. CEOWORLD magazine’s researchers discovered that the smoking rate in regions like Oceania’s Pacific islands, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, and South America, where the countries on the list above are located is dictated by culture. Smoking is a normal component of people’s lives in these regions.
How do gender and culture influence smoking rates worldwide?
The smoking landscape worldwide features diversity, with gender and culture tremendously influencing it. The smoking rate tends to be quite elevated for men and quite low for women in paternalistic societies like those in Southeast Asian and South Asian countries. For instance, Indonesia is a non-Western country. Its male smoking rate is 70.5 percent, while the female smoking incidence is merely 5.3 percent, marking a wide disparity. Meanwhile, in Western countries like the United Kingdom, the male smoking rate of 21.1 percent is not too far from that of females at 17.3 percent.
These figures demonstrate that gender and culture affect smokers in various countries differently: In conservative and traditional societies, men are the dominant smokers and women are generally hesitant to take in the smoking habit. Meanwhile, in liberal countries where issues of gender equality are widely addressed, the factors of gender and culture have little to no impact on smokers.
What are the future global smoking trends?
CEOWORLD magazine’s researchers intend for readers to know more about how smoking as a globally popular habit rose and reached its declining state today. Based on their research, cigarette smoking initially witnessed a marked surge in developed countries during the onset of the 20th century. Its consumption rose sharply up to the mid-1900s. Since then, cigarette smoking has undergone a centuries-long cycle of decline and peak, reaching its summit from the middle to the latter part of the 20th century. In the succeeding decades, smoking entered a steep drop.
Today, smoking is already plummeting in many countries, including in the high, middle, and low-income regions. This trend started over the past decade, thanks to the prevalence of anti-tobacco campaigns by governments and the heightened education about smoking’s negative effects on the human body. For example, in the United Kingdom, the smoking incidence was 38 percent in 2000, yet this figure has nosedived to 19.2 percent.
In today’s Internet Age, information about the harmful impacts of smoking on the human body is ubiquitous. People are also more health-conscious, especially after the coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic. With these present global trends, CEOWORLD magazine’s researchers believe smokers and the smoking rates worldwide will continue to dwindle in the coming years. This possibility is positive news since the world can become healthier, with people living longer, more wholesome, and more meaningful lives.
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