Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. More than 16 million Americans are living with smoking-related diseases, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC also reports that cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths each year in the U.S. alone. That’s more than 1,300 deaths every day.

How common is smoking?

The prevalence of smoking is decreasing year by year, but it’s still a common cause of health issues and a leading cause of death.

Throughout the world, 20% of adults smoke tobacco products. (Our World in Data, 2013)
Almost 14% of U.S. adults aged 18 years old or older were cigarette smokers in 2018. (CDC, 2021)
About 16% of male adults and just over 12% of female adults were smokers in 2018 in the U.S. (CDC, 2021)

Smoking statistics by year
Year	Percentage of adults who reportedly smoked cigarettes
1965	42%
1970	37%
1974	37%
1980	33%
1985	30%
1990	25%
1995	25%
2000	23%
2005	21%
2010	19%
2015	15%
2018	14%

Reference: American Lung Association

Smoking vs. vaping statistics

Vaping is a smoking alternative that is gaining popularity in the United States, especially among teenagers and young adults. It includes the use of vape pens, electronic cigarettes, and advanced personal vaporizers. Vaping devices create nicotine-infused vapors that the user inhales.

Although vaping is a popular alternative to smoking products, it has not been proven to be safer than cigarettes. Studies show that vaping may have serious health risks, including severe lung damage.

More than 30% of teens who start using e-cigarettes begin smoking traditional tobacco products within six months compared to 8% of teens who do not use e-cigarettes. (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2016)
Approximately only 15% of U.S. e-cigarette users were non-smokers in 2016. (Annals of Internal Medicine, 2018)
Young people in the U.S. are four times more likely to try cigarettes if they’ve already used vaping products. (Truth Initiative, 2019)
More than 70% of high school cigarette smokers also use vaping products. (U.S. Surgeon General, 2020)

RELATED: Vaping statistics

Secondhand smoke statistics

There are more than 41,000 deaths in the United States each year due to secondhand smoke exposure. (CDC, 2021)
Between 1964 and 2014, about 2.5 million nonsmokers died from exposure to secondhand smoke. (U.S. Surgeon General, 2014)
About 35% of children living in the United States have been exposed to secondhand smoke. (American Lung Association, 2020)
Secondhand smoke is linked to between 150,000 and 300,000 lower respiratory tract infections in infants and children younger than 18 months old each year, resulting in 7,500 and 15,000 hospital visits. (American Lung Association, 2020)
Secondhand smoke causes 430 sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) deaths in the U.S. annually. (American Lung Association, 2020)
Nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke are at a 25% to 30% increased risk for developing heart disease. (CDC, 2021)
In the United States each year, more than 8,000 stroke deaths are linked to secondhand smoke exposure. (CDC, 2021)

Smoking cessation statistics

In the United States in 2018, 55% of adult smokers had attempted to quit smoking in the past 12 months. (CDC, 2020)
Only 3% to 5% of smokers successfully quit smoking without professional help. (European Respiratory Journal, 2016)
A 2017 study on the smoking cessation medication Chantix (varenicline) found that 1 in 11 smokers successfully stopped smoking for at least six months. (American Family Physician, 2017)
Approximately 1 in 5 smokers are able to stop smoking successfully with bupropion SR. (International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, 2008)

Smoking and overall health

Smoking tobacco products can lead to a variety of severe, long-term health problems. Smoking can cause cancer, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and respiratory disease, among other medical conditions.

Many people turn to cigarettes as a coping mechanism. People with mental illness, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), are more likely to smoke cigarettes than the general population. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance and many people feel an urge or uncontrollable craving to use tobacco products when they experience a strong mood shift such as anxiety, sadness, anger, boredom, or stress. This is why smoking can easily lead to dependency. When used regularly, nicotine changes the structure and function of the brain’s reward system, creating a physical and psychological addiction.

Smoking cessation attempts can be challenging for people with mental illness, especially if they cannot quit smoking without assistance or support.

Smokers are two to four times more likely to visit the emergency room than nonsmokers. (Wolters Kluwer, 2015)
Households with school-aged children exposed to smoke inside the house at least monthly were more likely to have an asthma-related emergency room or urgent care visit than those who weren’t exposed to smoke. (Urban Institute, 2017)
In the United States, only 12% of people newly diagnosed with lung cancer had never smoked. (American Cancer Society, 2020)
In the United States, between 80% and 90% of lung cancer deaths are linked to cigarette smoking. (CDC, 2020)
Around 32% of coronary heart disease deaths in the United States are linked to smoking. (U.S. Surgeon General, 2014)
Around 79% of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) cases in the United States are linked to smoking. (U.S. Surgeon General, 2014)

The cost of smoking

Smoking does more harm than just taking years off of someone’s life. Smoking costs the U.S. billions of dollars in healthcare costs and lost productivity each year. Smoking-related illnesses increase the cost of insurance policies, government spending on Medicare and Medicaid, and household spending on medical expenses. Not only that, but smoking-related deaths result in lost wages for surviving family members.

“The current price of cigarettes is about $7 a pack, but varies from state to state,” says Bruce D. Foreman, Ph.D., a licensed phycologist and co-author of Smokescreen: A Jewish Approach to Stop Smoking. “If someone smokes a pack of cigarettes a day, the amount spent on cigarettes in a year would be over $2,500. If that money were to be invested annually in a mutual fund in an IRA that produced a conservative 5% return, over 40 years, it would be worth over half a million dollars.”

Smoking is expensive for not only the smoker, but society as a whole.

The total economic cost of smoking in the United States each year is more than $300 billion.
The United States spends more than $225 billion on smoking-related adult medical care each year.
It costs more than $156 billion in lost productivity due to premature death and exposure to secondhand smoke.
In the United States in 2019, tobacco advertising and tobacco industry promotional campaign costs reached over $8 billion for the year.

CDC, 2021

Tobacco prevention

It’s important to understand the risks associated with tobacco use and implement preventive measures, such as quitting, avoiding people who smoke, and not exposing children to secondhand smoke. Educating others about the negative effects of tobacco use also plays a key role in prevention.

Prevention comes in many forms, including creating and enforcing harsher public health laws on smoking in public places, raising the prices of tobacco products using tax increases, and promoting smoke-free environments via smoking bans. Prevention ads help create awareness for these programs and encourage people to lead a healthier life without smoking.

Community efforts are also crucial in tobacco control efforts. A positive, proactive community culture can help create a strong foundation for eradicating tobacco use in high-risk populations. This can be achieved by providing people with the proper tools to prevent smoking or encouraging them to quit if they are already smokers.

How to stop smoking

There are several over-the-counter and prescription medications designed to help people stop smoking.

Over-the-counter medications

Nicoderm Cq transdermal patches: These are applied to the skin and contain nicotine, the chemical most responsible for addiction. The medication is slowly released through the body through the skin and can help reduce cravings. Patches are available in different strengths and must be worn for a certain number of hours each day to release enough medication into the blood.
Nicorette chewing gum: This is a form of nicotine replacement therapy that can be purchased at most convenience stores or grocery stores. The gum releases small doses of nicotine as the person chews, mimicking cigarette use.
Nicorette lozenges: These are available in different strengths and dissolve quickly on the tongue. The lozenges are meant to be used instead of cigarettes during times that a person might ordinarily smoke.

Prescription medications

Chantix (varenicline): Available by prescription only, this medication can help reduce thoughts of wanting to smoke. However, there was recently a recall on brand-name Chantix. Ask a healthcare provider what your options are if you’re interested in Chantix.
Zyban (bupropion): This medication is designed to help reduce cravings for cigarettes and other tobacco products. It also helps with sleep, which can be disrupted when trying to quit smoking
Nortriptyline: This type of antidepressant is often used when people quit smoking to prevent depression and ease withdrawal symptoms.
Clonidine: This drug relieves some withdrawal symptoms, including anxiety and the urge to smoke. Because it also helps people sleep, this medication can ease those who struggle with insomnia as a side effect of quitting.
Nicotrol: This is a nicotine inhaler designed to imitate smoking with less harmful effects. It delivers nicotine to the lungs as a vapor instead of smoke and helps reduce nicotine cravings as well.
Nicotrol Ns: This is a liquid nasal spray of nicotine replacement therapy that sprays the medication into the nose.

RELATED: Wellbutrin vs. Chantix

There are other more experimental medications to treat tobacco addiction, including nicotine vaccines. Although not completely understood, the mechanism of these vaccines is based on stimulating antibodies that prevent nicotine from crossing the blood-brain barrier. This would result in a reduced pleasurable effect from nicotine and make it easier to quit smoking altogether.

There are several clinical trials available for those who wish to stop smoking. Talk to your doctor about whether a clinical trial is right for you.

There are many resources available to those who wish to stop smoking:

Smoking questions and answers

What percentage of the world smokes?

Approximately 20% of the world smokes tobacco.

What country has the least amount of smokers?

Some countries, including Ethiopia, Ghana, Honduras, and Peru, have a very low smoking rate. The average rate in these countries is less than 5% of the adult population.

What percent of smokers die from smoking?

Every year, around 8 million people die from smoking.

At what age do most smokers die?

A national study found that current smokers living in the United States had three times higher risk of dying prematurely from cardiovascular mortality than those who never smoked. The age of death is highly dependent on the age when one begins smoking. According to the CDC, smokers die 10 years earlier than nonsmokers, on average.

Can lungs heal after years of smoking?

Your body begins seeing minor improvements within days, but it takes many years for your lungs to heal. Even then, they may never be as healthy as someone who has never smoked. Within one to two years of quitting, your risk of having a heart attack begins to drop. Within 10 years, the risk of lung cancer can drop by 50% and stroke risk decreases. The risk of coronary heart disease is about the same as a nonsmoker after 15 years of quitting.

How many cigarettes a day is considered heavy smoking?

Heavy smokers are considered as those who smoke 25 or more cigarettes per day.

Smoking research:

Smoking and tobacco use fast facts, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Smoking, Our World in Data
Tobacco trends, American Lung Association
Teens and e-cigarettes, National Institute on Drug AbuseTeens and e-cigarettes, National Institute on Drug Abuse
Prevalence and distribution of e-cigarette use among U.S. adults, Annals of Internal Medicine
New study reveals teens 16 times more likely to use JUUL than older age groups, Truth Initiative
Know the risks: e-cigarettes and young people, U.S. Surgeon General
Health consequences of smoking, Surgeon General fact sheet, HHS
Health effects of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, California Environmental Protection Agency
Secondhand smoke facts, CDC
Smoking cessation fast facts, CDC
Health effects of secondhand smoke, American Lung Association
Success rates are correlated mainly to completion of a smoking cessation program, European Respiratory Journal
Varenicline for smoking cessation, American Family Physician
The use of bupropion SR in cigarette smoking cessation, International Journal of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Frequent emergency department utilization and behavioral health diagnoses, Wolters Kluwer
Analysis of the 2015 American housing survey, Urban Institute
What are the risk factors for lung cancer? CDC
Study: More than 12% of people newly diagnosed with lung cancer never smoked cigarettes, American Cancer Society
How to quit smoking, CDC
Economic trends in tobacco, CDC
Recent advances in the development of nicotine vaccine: a systematic review, Annals of Public Health and Research
Smokers, especially those who begin young, are three times more likely to die prematurely, American Heart Association
Health benefits of quitting smoking over time, American Cancer Society
Characteristics of heavy smokers, National Library of Medicine