Europe is a vast continent with nearly forty percent of Europeans smoking. The country with the most number of smokers on the continent is the United Kingdom which accounts for more than 45 percent of all smokers. Portugal has the fewest number of smokers of just above 29 percent of the European Union’s 39.4 percent smokers. The rest of the countries in Europe vary from the United Kingdom’s smoking prevalence by an average of some sixteen percent. The following is the percentage prevalence of smoking in selected European Union countries;
Based on comparative data from studies in the year 1995, smoking has overall spiked in the European Union by some 5.5 percent from 33.9 percent to 39.4 percent. However even in light of this data tobacco cigarette smoking has decreased in three countries on the continent namely Denmark, Netherlands, and Belgium. Apparently, these countries are amongst the four heaviest smoking countries in Europe according to 1995 data. The fourth country had a high prevalence of smoking than Greece. Today instead of joining the three others in declining prevalence, Greece has had smoking increasing. This is the case with the rest of the European countries. In general, smoking has increased even though in some cases by slim margins. The overall EU smoking prevalence against 1995 figures has increased by some 4.8 percent.
Researchers have noted some variations in the methods of tobacco delivery. As expected Sweden showed some remarkable statistics of 9.1% use of smokeless tobacco products particularly chewing tobacco and snuff. While other methods such as cigar and pipe smoking are generally low in the European Union Denmark and Netherlands according to researchers have statistics considerably above average at 4.5% and 2.7% respectively. Roll-your-own cigarettes which are considerably popular in the U.S. are relatively popular in Europe with some countries such as the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, and France having figures considerably higher than the national average of 5.0%.
Reliable demographic data in the European Union indicate that in total more men than women smoke. In terms of packaged cigarettes, 44.8 percent of men smoke compared to 43.3 percent of women. Interestingly those who have some degree of education smoke less than those with less education. This data confirms a study carried out in Israel whose findings were published in 2010. Focusing on 20000 young men in the army, the study linked higher smoking rates to lower IQ. In other words, young men with lower IQs as low as 90 to 94 tended to make bad decisions about their health which included smoking compared to those with a high IQ of 101. This link went beyond smoking to obesity, nutrition, and other health matters.
With regard to tobacco delivery methods, far more men in the European Union smoke pipes or cigars than do women. Moreover, vapes and e-liquid stores like nic salts are quite popular among teenagers as well. Pipes and cigars are also associated with older individuals. Interestingly cigar smoking, the researchers found, is also linked to managerial position perhaps an important status symbol. The unemployed in the EU overwhelmingly smoke roll-your-own cigarettes also considered a function of cost!
