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For country-specific smoking statistics, please click on the countries above!
Why is it important?
- Smoking is one of the leading causes of heart disease with smokers twice as likely to suffer from a heart attack as non-smokers. Smokers die on average 10-years earlier than non-smokers.
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounts for 55 percent of all women’s deaths in Europe and 43 percent of all men’s deaths. Women who consume up to 15 cigarettes a day increase their risk of CVD by 20 percent.
- CVD costs the EU 169 million annually – 230 euros for every man, woman and child in the EU.
- Passive smoke is responsible for tens of thousands of deaths annually.
- Smoking inequality and tobacco consumption: Smoking rates are higher among the unemployed (54%) and manual workers (51%). In the EU 15 39% of people smoke.
Most smokers say they want to quit but feel they are addicted.
What can be done:
- Prices affect smoking initiation and smoking cessation: When cigarette prices increase by 10% smoking decreases by 4%; 3.4% of young adult smokers attempt to quit and between 3 and 10% fewer people start smoking.
- Regular increases in tobacco taxes are the most effective tool for a sustained reduction in tobacco use.
- Smoking bans are extremely effective ways to reduce smoking – especially when supported by the media and an active advertising campaign. A comprehensive ban from high-income countries can reduce the consumption of tobacco products by around 6.3 percent.
- Tobacco is the most heavily subsidised crop per hectare in Europe. Growers get €7,800 per hectare of land planted with tobacco which amounts to €7,600 for every tobacco farm per year. Since 1990 EU has spent €1000 million annually on subsidies to tobacco growers.
* Statistics collected from a variety of sources, including the WHO and individual Health Ministries. |