Tobacco consumption Fewer and fewer smokers in Switzerland

SDA

2.7.2024 - 09:11

Fewer and fewer people in Switzerland are taking up smoking. (archive picture)
Fewer and fewer people in Switzerland are taking up smoking. (archive picture)
Keystone

Fewer and fewer people are smoking in Switzerland. In 2022, 24% of the population aged 15 and over still smoked, as reported by the Federal Statistical Office on Tuesday.

Keystone-SDA

The proportion of smokers has fallen by 3 percentage points since the last survey in 2017, wrote the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). Previously, the proportion had remained stable for a long time. According to the FSO, novel tobacco products or e-cigarettes are particularly popular among younger people: they were consumed by 17% of 15 to 24-year-olds in 2022.

The differences between the sexes have narrowed. Among men, the proportion of smokers fell by ten percent in 1992 to 27 percent in 2022. Among women, it fell from around a quarter to a fifth in the same period. Among men, the proportion of smokers has fallen in all age groups, particularly among 15 to 24-year-olds. In the 65+ age group, however, the proportion of women smokers has risen.

Fewer heavy smokers

According to the FSO, the proportion of heavy smokers - 20 cigarettes or more per day - has more than halved in the last 30 years. Among adolescents and young adults in particular, the proportion of heavy smokers has fallen significantly from around a third in 1992 to 5% in 2022.

The level of education also influences the smoking rate. It has decreased most significantly among people with a university degree or higher vocational education.