In 2022, 24% of Switzerland’s population smoked, according to data published on 2 July 2024 by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO). This percentage is down 3 percentage points from the rate in 2017 when the survey was last done.
The smoking rate has fallen most significantly among people with tertiary education. The proportion of heavy smokers (20 or more cigarettes a day) has more than halved in the last 30 years.
New types of tobacco products or e-cigarettes are particularly popular among younger people, consumed by 17% of 15- to 24-year-olds in 2022.
In 1992, 30% of the population aged 15 and over reported smoking. In 2022, 24% reported smoking. However, the development has not been uniform. For many years the rate remained stuck in the high 20s. Only recently has it fallen.
Education seems to have an influence. In 2022, people without post-compulsory education smoked more frequently and more heavily than those who had completed a university or higher vocational education (tertiary qualification). However, this difference is relatively new. 30 years ago, there were hardly any differences in smoking by level of education.
Men (27%) are more likely to smoke but are catching up with women (21%). Between 1992 and 2022, smoking rates among women fell 3 percentage points from 24% to 21%. Among men they fell 10 percentage points from 37% to 27%.
Smokers are also cutting down. The consumption behaviour of smokers has changed significantly over the last 30 years. In 1992, 41% of smokers smoked 20 cigarettes or more a day. Since then, this proportion has more than halved to 18% in 2022.
However, Swiss smoking rates remain high when compared to many other nations. Rates in the UK (14%), Norway (14%), Canada (12%) and Australia (13%) are far lower. Many other European nations have high rates. France (35%), Bulgaria (40%) and Serbia (40%) stand out. Portugal (26%) and Spain (28%) also have high rates – see rates here.
Passive smoking remains widely tolerated in Switzerland. Many smokers will light up on train platforms, where it is largely banned, at bus stops, queues or while seated at outside restaurant tables, forcing those around them to inhale smoke. Knowledge of the harmful effects of passive smoke remains rare among Switzerland’s smokers. According to the US CDC, those exposed to secondhand smoke, even for a short time, can suffer harmful health effects. The organisation estimates there have been around 2,500,000 deaths in the US since 1964 among non-smokers from health problems caused by secondhand smoke exposure.
More on this:
FSO article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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