5. Bulgaria
> Pct. adults that smoke: 38.8%
> Pct. men that smoke: 50.3% (10th highest)
> Pct. women that smoke: 28.2% (6th highest)
> Per capita cigarette consumption: 2,822 cigarettes (2nd highest)
> Cigarette prices per pack: $3.29 (34th highest)
Bulgaria is one of just 11 countries in which at least half of the adult male population smokes. It is also one of 11 countries in which more than one-quarter of the adult female population smokes, while 31.6% of girls between the ages of 13 and 15 smoke — the fourth highest rate in the world. Bulgaria’s citizens are not only among the most likely to smoke, but also tend to smoke heavily. The nation consumes the second most cigarettes per capita in the world, at 2,822 per year. On June 1, a national ban on smoking inside enclosed public spaces such as restaurants and bars went into effect — although it has been heavily protested by the country’s hospitality industry.
4. Russian Federation
> Pct. adults that smoke: 39.1%
> Pct. men that smoke: 60.2% (3rd highest)
> Pct. women that smoke: 21.7% (20th highest)
> Per capita cigarette consumption: 2,786 cigarettes (4th highest)
> Cigarette prices per pack: $1.74 (34th lowest)
Russia is one of just three countries where more than 60% of all men smoke cigarettes. Meanwhile, fewer than 22% of women in the country smoke cigarettes. That gap is evident in death rates. In 2004, 28% of male deaths were due to tobacco use, the sixth highest rate in the world. Meanwhile, only 4% of female deaths in 2004 were attributed to tobacco use, the 35th lowest of all countries. The country produces more than 400 billion cigarettes a year, more than any country except for China. As a result, cigarette prices relative to income were the fifth lowest in the world as of 2010. Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev recently called for a cigarette advertising ban, higher sales taxes and a public smoking ban by 2015.
Also Read: The Nine U.S. Cities Selling the Most to China
3. Chile
> Pct. adults that smoke: 40.6%
> Pct. men that smoke: 44.2% (25th highest)
> Pct. women that smoke: 37.1% (3rd highest)
> Per capita cigarette consumption: 860 cigarettes (40th highest)
> Cigarette prices per pack: $3.80 (28th highest)
Chile has the third-highest proportion of adults who smoke for countries of 5 million people or more, but only the 25th highest proportion of men who smoke. More than 37% of women smoke, which is more than all but two large countries. The smoking problem in Chile is not contained to just adults. Nearly 40% of girls aged 13 to 15 smoke cigarettes, the highest rate of any large country. The cost of a pack of cigarettes in Chile is estimated at $3.80, more than $2.50 less than the cost of a pack in the United States, but still higher than most large countries. The Chilean Senate is slated to vote on a bill that would outlaw tobacco use in restaurants and bars.
2. Papua New Guinea
> Pct. adults that smoke: 44.0%
> Pct. men that smoke: 60.3% (2nd highest)
> Pct. women that smoke: 27.0% (7th highest)
> Per capita cigarette consumption: 670 cigarettes (51st highest)
> Cigarette prices per pack: $4.86 (20th highest)
The 60.3% of men who smoke cigarettes in Papua New Guinea is more than any other country except for Syria. These smokers start early as more than 52% of boys between the ages of 13 and 15 use cigarettes, the highest percentage in the world. Meanwhile, just under 36% of girls aged 13 to 15 smoke cigarettes, the second highest percentage of all countries and significantly higher than the 27% of all women who smoke. In late 2011, the Papua New Guinea government introduced a public smoking ban and a prohibition on manufacturers making tobacco packets of five cigarettes, which experts argue targets teenagers and lower-income individuals.
1. Austria
> Pct. adults that smoke: 47.0%
> Pct. men that smoke: 48.0% (15th highest)
> Pct. women that smoke: 47.0% (the highest)
> Per capita cigarette consumption: 1,650 cigarettes (15th highest)
> Cigarette prices per pack: $6.20 (14th highest)
A whopping 47% of women in Austria smoke cigarettes, the highest rate of all countries by eight percentage points and just one percentage point lower than the male smokers rate. A smoking ban has been implemented gradually and haphazardly in the past several years. After a voluntary smoking ban implemented in 2008 failed, the country enacted a law in 2009 to require establishments larger than 80 square meters to provide nonsmoking sections. They had to comply by July 2010, but more than a few business owners have gotten around the rules. For instance, some pubs and restaurants have become licensed “tobacconists,” who are exempt from the smoking bans.
Douglas A. McIntyre, Michael B. Sauter, Alexander E. M. Hess and Samuel Weigley
