Infographics. Profiles, income level, region of residence... Who smokes the most in France?

The French are smoking less than before . In 2023, more than 3 out of 10 people aged 18-75 reported smoking tobacco (31.1%) and 23.1% smoked daily, according to a study (*) published this Tuesday by the French Observatory of Drugs and Addictive Trends (OFDT) and Public Health France. This is "the lowest prevalence of daily smoking measured since the end of the 1990s," the authors of the study praise.

E-cigarette use affects 8.3% of 18- to 75-year-olds, with 6.1% of adults vaping daily. Only 2.1% of the population smoke tobacco and vape daily.

Although it is declining, smoking remains a marker of social inequality. "People without a diploma or with a diploma below the baccalaureate level have a significantly higher level of daily tobacco use (28.9%) than those reporting a diploma above the baccalaureate (16.6%)," the study highlights. The rate of daily smokers is also much higher among the unemployed (45.8%) and the inactive (37.8%) than among the employed (26.5%).

These inequalities appear less marked when it comes to e-cigarette use. People without a diploma or with a diploma below the baccalaureate certainly have a slightly higher level of daily e-cigarette use (5.9%) than those with a diploma above the baccalaureate (5.5%), but it is people with a diploma equivalent to the baccalaureate who have the highest rate of use (7.4%). Similarly, more unemployed people vape daily (8.3%), but employed people (7.4%) do so more than those inactive (6.4%).

Smoking tobacco can be expensive. Yet, those with the lowest income per consumption unit have the highest proportion of daily smokers. Among those with an income per consumption unit of less than €1,160, daily smokers account for 30.3%, compared to 17% among those with an income per consumption unit of more than €2,150.

On the other hand, those with average incomes have the highest proportion of daily vapers. 6.9% of people with a unit income of €1,160 to €1,760 vape daily, 1 to 1.5 percentage points higher than those with incomes below €1,160 and above €2,150.

Daily smoking is not highest at the end of adolescence, but in the middle of adult life, the study observes. Thus, 35-44 year-olds have the highest proportion of daily smokers (29.5%), ahead of 25-34 year-olds (29.3%) and 18-24 year-olds (23.4%). Only 11.1% of seniors aged 65-75 are daily smokers.

Similarly, 25-34 year olds (8.7%) and 35-44 year olds (7.6%) are those who vape the most daily.

Could where we live have an influence on our relationship with tobacco? Some regions have a higher proportion of smokers than others, the study indicates. Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (26.5%) and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (26.8%) have a higher prevalence of daily smoking than the rest of the country. Conversely, the proportion of daily smokers is lower than the national average in Brittany (19.5%) and Île-de-France (19.6%).

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur also has a higher rate of daily vapers (6.9%) than the national average (6.1%). However, two regions stand out in particular, with e-cigarette usage rates well above the national average: Normandy (8.1%) and Brittany (8.5%). However, no region stands out for having a significantly lower rate of vapers than the national average.

(*) Study based on a survey of 14,984 people conducted between March 22 and July 29, 2023.