According to a study carried out by the French Public Health agency, nearly one in three French people still smoke in 2023. Stability was noted in terms of cigarette consumption in France last year.
A stagnant trend since the Covid crisis
In 2023, nearly a third of French people aged 18 to 75 still smoked, according to a study published by Public Health France. If the percentage of daily smokers reaches a historic low of 23.1%, overall consumption remains stable. This figure reflects a slowdown in the progress made in recent years. The 2010s were marked by a marked decrease in smoking in France through targeted anti-tobacco campaigns and dissuasive policies such as price increases. However, the Covid-19 pandemic slowed this momentum, and since then the figures have stagnated, reports RTL. In 2023, 31.1% of adults report smoking, a level similar to previous years.
Encouraging progress despite everything
The decline in the number of daily smokers is a positive sign. In fact, the current prevalence is the lowest ever recorded since records began in this age group. This reflects the impact of awareness campaigns, cessation aids and prevention in schools. Remember that the smoking remains one of the main causes of mortality in France, contributing to deaths from cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The current stagnation underlines the importance of strengthening prevention efforts, cessation assistance and awareness-raising, in order to sustainably reduce the impact of this addiction.
A major public health challenge
France remains behind other countries, such as the United States, where less than 15% of adults now smoke. Countries like the United Kingdom are even considering radical measures, such as banning the sale of cigarettes to generations born after 2009. The government has presented a new plan to fight against smokingaiming in particular to increase the price of a pack of cigarettes to 13 euros by 2027. However, immediate price increases have been postponed, highlighting the difficulty of reconciling public health and economic concerns.
> Also read: the government does not plan to increase cigarette prices in 2025
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