“The lowest prevalence of daily smoking ever recorded since this indicator exists.” According to a study carried out by the French Observatory on drugs and addictive tendencies, more than three in ten people, between 18 and 75 years old, declared smoking in 2023 in France. And less than a quarter (23.1%) reported smoking daily, with a higher level among men (25.4%) than women (20.9%).
Although the difference between 2022 and 2023 is not significant, a decrease was observed between 2021 and 2023. “Daily smoking decreased from 25.3% to 23.1% during this period,” says the study published this Tuesday, November 19. , based on data from the Survey on Representations, Opinions and Perceptions on Psychotropic Drugs (EROPP).
Occasional smokers are on the rise
It is not the first period of decline in smoking that has been observed: it had already occurred between 2016 and 2019 before stabilizing at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This reduction in cigarette consumption is noticeable in tobacco shops where sales are falling. In 2021, 43,188 tons of tobacco were delivered to tobacconists, compared to 37,120 tons in 2023, which represents a drop of 14%. “Sales of smoking cessation treatments carried out in pharmacies (reimbursed or not) are also increasing during the same period,” the study highlights.
While daily smokers have decreased, occasional smokers have increased. The prevalence of occasional smoking has increased since 2021 to reach 8% in 2023.
Vaping has continued to grow since 2016. In 2023, 8.3% of people between 18 and 75 years old reported vaping and 41.8% reported experimenting with e-cigarettes.
Social inequalities “remain very marked”
It should be noted that “social inequalities in smoking remain very marked.” Cigarette smoking is significantly higher when the level of education is lower, when income is lower, or when people are unemployed. The prevalence of daily smoking is, for example, 28.9% among people without a degree or with a degree less than a high school diploma and 16.6% among those with a degree above a high school diploma.
However, the decline in smoking in France also affects less advantaged socioeconomic categories. There was a decrease in tobacco use between 2021 and 2023 among the less educated, those with lower incomes, and the unemployed.
While tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable mortality (with around 75,000 attributable deaths in 2015, or 13% of deaths), the goal of achieving the first tobacco-free generation by 2032 is reiterated. More precisely, there is the desire to achieve a smoking prevalence of less than 5% in adulthood for generations born after 2014. Health authorities hope that the ninth edition of No Tobacco Month, which encourages smokers to quit smoking completely in This November, bear fruit.
Source: BFM TV
