I always see memes of Europeans being heavy smokers but recently they’ve been banning on places it was quite popular (Paris). So, how is the smoking situation in your country?
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A pack of 20 cigarettes in the UK is now £15 (€17-18) so it’s been completely priced out for most people. Even if it was popular it wouldn’t be feasible.
It’s not allowed to smoke on the patios for cafes or restaurants anymore or by train/bus stops. Most building associations are cracking down on smoking on balconies.
The number of smokers (tobacco) have dropped quite sharply but many have switched over to snus or vapes.
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Loads of Germans smoke, in Berlin at least. Some Kneipen (pubs) are allowed to be smoking venues. It’s a shame, they’re usually the friendliest and most fun, but fuck me they stink.
Yeah definitely. Lots of people smoke IQOS too which is vaporized tobbacco. Supposedly not as harmful.
Many people still smoke regular cigarettes, but also many switched to this electric toy cigarettes with raspberry flavoured smoke and such. And then the kids ADORE elf bar, but it’s banned in Hungary.
Ireland 🇮🇪
We were the first country in the world to ban smoking indoors in the very early 2000s. A box of cigarettes now costs almost €20. Naturally smoking is dying out, especially among young people. It’s still there, but I genuinely can’t think of any of my friends who smoke anymore.
However, vape use is exploding here. I’m in my 30s and I took up vaping to give up smoking, and it worked amazingly. But you’ll see lots of teenagers vaping here, more than I ever remember smoking back when I was a teen.
It’s getting more and more restricted to keep the younger generations from normalising it.
It’s prohibited in Belgium now in public parks, the zoo, amusement parks,.. excluding designated zones. When sitting on a restaurant terrace it’s still allowed. But frowned upon if you don’t take stock of your environment.
People are pretty chill if you’re not an asocial smoker.
Edit: they also recently banned supermarkets from selling tobacco and made all other sellers keep them behind blinds.
The number of occasional and regular smokers dropped the last decades but it’s still high.
We have 12milion of people smoking. In the 70s, 60% of men used to smoke while now it’s 29% (stable for women at around 22%). So, much much better but still a lot.
Around 20% of all Austrians smoke daily, which is much lower than it has been in the past. Indoor smoking in restaurants was legal until 2019. Smoking bans are a very politicized issue in Austria, with the far-right FPÖ party (which is also currently the largest party) vehemently against them.
About 17% of Danes smoke, at least once in a while.
11% of Danes smoke daily. This is down from 30% in 2000.
Among people with a college education (or equivalent) it’s only 6% that smoke on a daily basis.
I think in finalnd people tend to smoke when they drink and are in the bar, bit guess sober smoking has dropped.
I’m German and it’s still a lot more common than it should be. Also the different states all have their own laws which just makes it inconsistent and annoying.
The Netherlands here. I believe slightly less than 20% of the populations still smokes and it’s prohibited in or around schools (universities included), hospitals, stations, etc.
But I work at a university and every day there are hundreds of students/university workers that are smoking outside. And yes, I smoke too (have been since I was 12 and I’m in my 60’s now). Because it’s horribly expensive to buy, I go to Germany for most of my groceries and tobacco. As well as gas, because that is cheaper too in Germany.
And once every few months I take a trip to Luxembourg where tobacco is even cheaper. It’s only about a 3 hours drive to Luxembourg.
Bosnia and Herzegovina – huge. Everybody smokes. Smoking is still allowed basically in all cafes and restaurants.
However, a law was introduced in one part of the country to curb that a little, although it’s not in effect yet.
Croatia – huge. Everybody smokes.
Serbia – huge. Everybody smokes.
Montenegro – huge. Everybody smokes.
I think you get the gist.
Some people still do it, but there’s a lot of rules so people don’t smoke on busses and in public indoor places. But sadly everyone hasn’t yet learned the stupidity of smoking.
Still a thing in Greece, although not as big as it used to be in the 80s/90s. We do have many ex-smokers and many wanting to quit (I’m one of them).
Netherlands, official numbers are around 20% of the adult population, but I think that number is very skewed by people lying on surveys and buying tobacco in Germany, Belgium or Luxembourg due to the price difference. So realistically, I’d say it’s a bit higher with a significant amount of people only smoking after a few drinks. Purely anecdotally, but in my mostly uni graduated ‘bubble’ very few people smoke untill the drinks come out, then it very quickly flips from a relatively small minority to a small majority.
In the Netherlands cigarettes are crazy expensive, so people either go to Germany or Luxembourg to buy them or have friends bringing cigarettes from abroad. Smoking is prohibited in the majority of public places, but you can still smoke when sitting outside at a bar or restaurant.
Most young people I think vape these days or use disposable electronic cigarettes, which are banned in the Netherlands, but you can still buy them from a “vape dealer”. I think it’s even easier for underage people to buy them now, as no one checks their ID etc.
Still pretty big, honestly not much has changed over time, with the exception of electronic devices being introduced, which are quite popular. We never really had southern Europe levels of smoking, but it’s always been prevalent.
Sweden is actually on the verge of being declared a *Smoke-Free Country* by the WHO, as the treshold lies at 5.0%.
The most recent statistics I found are from 2022. Then 11% of adult population smoked daily. It’s most common among older generations and people with low or no education, not surprisingly. Vaping and snus are also used but in total, even rarer (between 1-7% depending on the demographic group). In Helsinki at least you still see people having a smoke outside a bar or at a bus stop, but it’s getting increasinly rare.
I’m old enough to have experienced smoking in bars and restaurants (and even trains and planes). Even though I don’t smoke I sometimes feel nostalgic for those times. Then I remember the rancid smell on clothes after a night out or even after one beer at local pub.
In Italy smoking has been almost phased out thanks to strong restrictions on indoor smoking. It’s rare nowadays to see anyone smoking a cigarette. Vaping on the other hand is rather common.
Norway:
About 7% of adults are daily smokers, with an additional 9% who smoke sometimes. But in the age group 16-24 only 3% smokes daily.
Smoking in public buildings has been prohibited since 1988 and in restaurants and bars since 2004.
Pretty common. People will go on a 9km hike and then have a cigarette lol. I am guilty myself of smoking at times when I go to Serbia. I prefer the cigarettes in Serbia because they have flavored ones there. I maybe buy two or three packs a year. Yes I am aware.
Everybody smokes everywhere in spain, they don’t really care who is around them. Even around children, or with families around
In Romania, smoking’s still pretty common, especially in social settings, but it’s been pushed out of indoor public spaces for years now. You’ll still see people lighting up on terraces or outside cafes but the strict indoor ban has definitely changed the vibe. That said, vapes, IQOS, Iluma and all those “less harmful” devices? People use them pretty much everywhere: indoors, cafés, even offices sometimes. So yeah, technically smoking’s restricted, but practically not so much. Also, a pack of Marlboro costs around 27 ron (about €5.40), which is relatively affordable compared to many western countries.
About seven percent of Norwegian adults smoke daily, with nine percent saying they smoke now and then. By far the most common way of consuming nicotine is snus, which is used by sixteen percent of adults daily (twenty percent among people aged 16-24), and four percent now and then. I’m sure snus is more popular than cigarettes in Sweden, too, possibly Finland and Denmark.
Only time you see someone smoke is when there is alcohol involved like at pubs and such late at night. But very common to use snus and become common even with young people that ain’t even allowed to buy it.
30 comments
A pack of 20 cigarettes in the UK is now £15 (€17-18) so it’s been completely priced out for most people. Even if it was popular it wouldn’t be feasible.
[Not big](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/images/7/79/Share_of_daily_smokers_of_cigarettes_among_persons_aged_15_and_over%2C_by_level_of_consumption%2C_2019_%28%25%29_HLTH2022.png). I very rarely see people smoke in my day to day.
Snus is a more common form of tobacco.
Sweden.
It’s not allowed to smoke on the patios for cafes or restaurants anymore or by train/bus stops. Most building associations are cracking down on smoking on balconies.
The number of smokers (tobacco) have dropped quite sharply but many have switched over to snus or vapes.
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Loads of Germans smoke, in Berlin at least. Some Kneipen (pubs) are allowed to be smoking venues. It’s a shame, they’re usually the friendliest and most fun, but fuck me they stink.
Yeah definitely. Lots of people smoke IQOS too which is vaporized tobbacco. Supposedly not as harmful.
Many people still smoke regular cigarettes, but also many switched to this electric toy cigarettes with raspberry flavoured smoke and such. And then the kids ADORE elf bar, but it’s banned in Hungary.
Ireland 🇮🇪
We were the first country in the world to ban smoking indoors in the very early 2000s. A box of cigarettes now costs almost €20. Naturally smoking is dying out, especially among young people. It’s still there, but I genuinely can’t think of any of my friends who smoke anymore.
However, vape use is exploding here. I’m in my 30s and I took up vaping to give up smoking, and it worked amazingly. But you’ll see lots of teenagers vaping here, more than I ever remember smoking back when I was a teen.
It’s getting more and more restricted to keep the younger generations from normalising it.
It’s prohibited in Belgium now in public parks, the zoo, amusement parks,.. excluding designated zones. When sitting on a restaurant terrace it’s still allowed. But frowned upon if you don’t take stock of your environment.
People are pretty chill if you’re not an asocial smoker.
Edit: they also recently banned supermarkets from selling tobacco and made all other sellers keep them behind blinds.
The number of occasional and regular smokers dropped the last decades but it’s still high.
We have 12milion of people smoking. In the 70s, 60% of men used to smoke while now it’s 29% (stable for women at around 22%). So, much much better but still a lot.
Around 20% of all Austrians smoke daily, which is much lower than it has been in the past. Indoor smoking in restaurants was legal until 2019. Smoking bans are a very politicized issue in Austria, with the far-right FPÖ party (which is also currently the largest party) vehemently against them.
About 17% of Danes smoke, at least once in a while.
11% of Danes smoke daily. This is down from 30% in 2000.
Among people with a college education (or equivalent) it’s only 6% that smoke on a daily basis.
I think in finalnd people tend to smoke when they drink and are in the bar, bit guess sober smoking has dropped.
I’m German and it’s still a lot more common than it should be. Also the different states all have their own laws which just makes it inconsistent and annoying.
The Netherlands here. I believe slightly less than 20% of the populations still smokes and it’s prohibited in or around schools (universities included), hospitals, stations, etc.
But I work at a university and every day there are hundreds of students/university workers that are smoking outside. And yes, I smoke too (have been since I was 12 and I’m in my 60’s now). Because it’s horribly expensive to buy, I go to Germany for most of my groceries and tobacco. As well as gas, because that is cheaper too in Germany.
And once every few months I take a trip to Luxembourg where tobacco is even cheaper. It’s only about a 3 hours drive to Luxembourg.
Bosnia and Herzegovina – huge. Everybody smokes. Smoking is still allowed basically in all cafes and restaurants.
However, a law was introduced in one part of the country to curb that a little, although it’s not in effect yet.
Croatia – huge. Everybody smokes.
Serbia – huge. Everybody smokes.
Montenegro – huge. Everybody smokes.
I think you get the gist.
Some people still do it, but there’s a lot of rules so people don’t smoke on busses and in public indoor places. But sadly everyone hasn’t yet learned the stupidity of smoking.
Still a thing in Greece, although not as big as it used to be in the 80s/90s. We do have many ex-smokers and many wanting to quit (I’m one of them).
Netherlands, official numbers are around 20% of the adult population, but I think that number is very skewed by people lying on surveys and buying tobacco in Germany, Belgium or Luxembourg due to the price difference. So realistically, I’d say it’s a bit higher with a significant amount of people only smoking after a few drinks. Purely anecdotally, but in my mostly uni graduated ‘bubble’ very few people smoke untill the drinks come out, then it very quickly flips from a relatively small minority to a small majority.
In the Netherlands cigarettes are crazy expensive, so people either go to Germany or Luxembourg to buy them or have friends bringing cigarettes from abroad. Smoking is prohibited in the majority of public places, but you can still smoke when sitting outside at a bar or restaurant.
Most young people I think vape these days or use disposable electronic cigarettes, which are banned in the Netherlands, but you can still buy them from a “vape dealer”. I think it’s even easier for underage people to buy them now, as no one checks their ID etc.
Still pretty big, honestly not much has changed over time, with the exception of electronic devices being introduced, which are quite popular. We never really had southern Europe levels of smoking, but it’s always been prevalent.
Only 5.4% are daily smokers according to [the lastest figures](https://www.folkhalsomyndigheten.se/nyheter-och-press/nyhetsarkiv/2024/november/drygt-fem-procent-av-befolkningen-roker-cigaretter-dagligen/) (Nov. 2024), in 2008 the same number was at 15%.
Sweden is actually on the verge of being declared a *Smoke-Free Country* by the WHO, as the treshold lies at 5.0%.
The most recent statistics I found are from 2022. Then 11% of adult population smoked daily. It’s most common among older generations and people with low or no education, not surprisingly. Vaping and snus are also used but in total, even rarer (between 1-7% depending on the demographic group). In Helsinki at least you still see people having a smoke outside a bar or at a bus stop, but it’s getting increasinly rare.
I’m old enough to have experienced smoking in bars and restaurants (and even trains and planes). Even though I don’t smoke I sometimes feel nostalgic for those times. Then I remember the rancid smell on clothes after a night out or even after one beer at local pub.
In Italy smoking has been almost phased out thanks to strong restrictions on indoor smoking. It’s rare nowadays to see anyone smoking a cigarette. Vaping on the other hand is rather common.
Norway:
About 7% of adults are daily smokers, with an additional 9% who smoke sometimes. But in the age group 16-24 only 3% smokes daily.
Smoking in public buildings has been prohibited since 1988 and in restaurants and bars since 2004.
Pretty common. People will go on a 9km hike and then have a cigarette lol. I am guilty myself of smoking at times when I go to Serbia. I prefer the cigarettes in Serbia because they have flavored ones there. I maybe buy two or three packs a year. Yes I am aware.
Everybody smokes everywhere in spain, they don’t really care who is around them. Even around children, or with families around
In Romania, smoking’s still pretty common, especially in social settings, but it’s been pushed out of indoor public spaces for years now. You’ll still see people lighting up on terraces or outside cafes but the strict indoor ban has definitely changed the vibe. That said, vapes, IQOS, Iluma and all those “less harmful” devices? People use them pretty much everywhere: indoors, cafés, even offices sometimes. So yeah, technically smoking’s restricted, but practically not so much. Also, a pack of Marlboro costs around 27 ron (about €5.40), which is relatively affordable compared to many western countries.
About seven percent of Norwegian adults smoke daily, with nine percent saying they smoke now and then. By far the most common way of consuming nicotine is snus, which is used by sixteen percent of adults daily (twenty percent among people aged 16-24), and four percent now and then. I’m sure snus is more popular than cigarettes in Sweden, too, possibly Finland and Denmark.
[Numbers from here.](https://www.helsedirektoratet.no/forebygging-diagnose-og-behandling/forebygging-og-levevaner/tobakk/statistikk-om-royking-bruk-av-snus-og-e-sigaretter)
Only time you see someone smoke is when there is alcohol involved like at pubs and such late at night. But very common to use snus and become common even with young people that ain’t even allowed to buy it.