A new study based on British data offers an estimate of the cost of smoking for life expectancy. It serves as a reminder that quitting smoking, at any age and at any time, is always beneficial.
We already know that smoking is dangerous for health, this no longer needs to be proven. On the other hand, the data now makes it possible to more precisely evaluate this “cost” of cigarettes, as demonstrated by a new study published in Addiction early January 2025: each cigarette would cost 20 minutes of life expectancy, on average.
This British work is based on data available in the United Kingdom. The previous British study with this ambition was carried out in 2000. It then came to the conclusion that each cigarette took an average of 11 minutes off a smoker’s life. This publication, however, relied exclusively on men; and it was derived largely from assumptions drawn from the average age of male smokers at their death.
This new study published in 2025 is completely updated. It is based on the direct processing of larger packets of data – more than 50 years of data –, coming from both men and women, and taking into account broader factors: mortality always, of course, but also the average amount of daily cigarettes these days.
Years of good health stolen by cigarettes
The analysis of this British data therefore makes it possible to arrive at the estimate of 17 minutes lost for men, 22 for women, for each cigarette, which leads to an average of 20 minutes per person. By adding up these 20 minutes per cigarette, the authors estimate that the life expectancy of a person who does not quit smoking is reduced by 10 to 11 years.
Epidemiological data indicate that “ the damage caused by smoking is cumulative and the sooner a person stops and the more they avoid smoking cigarettes, the longer they live », Explain the authors. They illustrate: a person who stops smoking on January 1, 2025 saves an entire day of their life from January 8, an entire week of their life from February 20; and one month, August 5. At the end of the year, a smoker who quit on January 1 may have avoided losing 50 days of his life.
« Smoking mainly encroaches on the relatively healthy middle years »
The authors add that “ smoking primarily encroaches on the relatively healthy middle years rather than shortening the late-life period, which is often marked by chronic illness or disability “. Therefore, a 60 year old smoker will have a health profile of a 70 year old non-smoker.
This figure is an average
This study is not without limitations: the figure of 20 minutes is an average which is not universal, since it brings together the entire population of the United Kingdom included in the data, and all ages. “ Some smokers live long, healthy lives, while others succumb to smoking-related illnesses or even die in their 40s. », Specify the authors. These variations are “ due to differences in smoking habits (number of puffs, depth of inhalation, etc.), type of cigarette smoked and individual sensitivity to toxic substances contained in cigarette smoke ».
What’s more, each cigarette does not have the same impact on health as another. Just as “ the age at which one starts smoking may also play a role, with people who start smoking at a younger age potentially being more vulnerable to smoking-related illnesses ».
Quitting smoking is beneficial
Despite the limitations on this spectacular figure, the study’s conclusion joins the scientific consensus on the dangers of tobacco. The authors state that “ quitting smoking at any age is beneficial ”, but also that “ the sooner smokers get off this escalator of death, the longer and healthier they can expect to live ».
