Number of smokers fell in Greece 2025, EU data shows

The number of regular smokers in Greece decreased in 2025, though the percentage of people who use tobacco products daily remains particularly high, at 22.6%, according to Eurostat data.

The number is an improvement compared to the previous available data of 2022, when the corresponding share was 24.2%.

This decline is largely attributed to the age group of Greeks between 35 and 49 years old, as the percentage of smokers decreased from 35.5% in 2022 to 28.3% in 2025. Smoking was also limited to the ages between 25-34 years old, where more than one in four still smokes (from 30.8% in 2022 to 28.3% in 2025). A smaller decrease was recorded among those aged 50 to 64 (from 29.1% to 27.4%), while smoking was marginally reduced among young people between 16 and 24 (from 16.8% to 16.3%).

On the contrary, a significant increase was recorded among those aged over 65, where daily smokers rose from 9.2% in 2022 to 13.3% last year.

A notable decrease in smoking was recorded in 2025 among women, from 18.4% to 15.9%. Male smokers showed a smaller decrease, from 30.4% in 2022 to 29.6% last year.

At a European level, Greece fell from the top three positions in the number of smokers – in 2022 it was second after Bulgaria – to fourth place together with Cyprus. Bulgaria maintained its top ranking in smoking, with 26.3% of the population over 16 years of age stating that they use tobacco products daily, while Sweden (23.9%) and Croatia (23.6%) followed.

The statistics also take into account electronic cigarettes, heated tobacco products such as IQOS, as well as products such as snus, which is particularly popular in Sweden.

The lowest smoking rates in the EU were recorded last year in the Netherlands (9.9%), Ireland (11.7%), Belgium (13.6%) and Luxembourg (13.8%). According to Eurostat, the overall percentage of daily smokers in the European bloc fell from 17.5% in 2022 to 16.5% in 2025.

Kathimerini