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France’s Smoking Rate Returns to Pre‑COVID Levels, With Four Million Fewer Daily Smokers Since 2014

Health officials credit sustained tobacco-control measures for the turnaround.

Overview

  • France’s 2024 barometer finds about 24–25% of adults smoke and roughly 17–18% smoke daily, reversing the pandemic-era uptick and reflecting a decade-long fall of daily smoking by four million people.
  • Daily smoking remains sharply unequal socially, reaching 25.1% among manual workers versus 11.8% among executives, and up to 30% among those reporting financial difficulty.
  • Regional disparities persist, with the highest daily smoking in Provence‑Alpes‑Côte d’Azur, Occitanie and Grand Est, and the lowest in Île‑de‑France and Auvergne‑Rhône‑Alpes.
  • More than half of daily smokers (55%) say they want to quit, with the Mois sans tabac campaign set for November and national services such as Tabac Info Service and pharmacy kits supporting cessation.
  • Santé publique France will publish complete results, including vaping data, on December 3, and the barometer will shift from annual to biennial reporting.