The percentage of smokers in the EU only decreased by one point in three years, sparking calls for action on tobacco control measures. Nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of the population in the European Union smoke, according to a new survey ordered by the European Commission. It represents only a one-point decrease in smokers compared to the results of 2020, with disparities noted among the countries surveyed by the Eurobarometer.
Over 35 per cent of people in Bulgaria, Greece, and Croatia are smokers compared to less than 10 per cent in Sweden. Boxed cigarettes are still the most popular choice with around seven in ten smoking them on a daily basis. The average consumption also remains the same compared to 2020 figures with around 14 cigarettes being smoked per day.
Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, are used by 3 per cent of the respondents, especially among people between 15 and 39. One in three took up using e-cigarettes because their friends did, while 36 per cent chose vaping to stop or reduce their tobacco consumption. “The Eurobarometer underlines the need to act.
It shows that people support additional tobacco control measures rather than linking them to the image of a ‘nanny-state’ as some lobbies like to suggest,” Frank Vandenbroucke, said the Belgian Health minister said in a statement released by the European coalition . The EU aimed to achieve a “tobacco-free generation” where less than 5 per cent of the population uses tobacco by 2040 - compared .