site.btaPercentage of Smokers, Users of Tobacco Products in Bulgaria Highest in EU in 2025 - Eurostat

In 2025 Bulgaria was the country with the largest proportion of population which admits to smoking or using tobacco products daily. Approximately one in four Bulgarians smoked or used electronic cigarettes, nicotine pouches or tobacco heating devices in the past year, whereas in the EU this was true for one in six people, according to the most recent Eurostat data, published on Wednesday.

Apart from Bulgaria, Sweden (23.9% of the population) and Croatia (23.6% of the population) had the most smokers in the EU last year, and the fewest smokers had countries like Belgium (13.6%), Ireland (11.7%) and the Netherlands (9.9%). 

Overall, the percentage of the smokers in the EU dropped down from 17.5% in 2022 to 16.5% in 2025. 

In Bulgaria, where 26.3% of the population smoked cigarettes or used tobacco products daily in 2025, this proportion increased by 0.3% compared with 2022.

Between 2022 and 2025, the percentage of tobacco products users increased in Lithuania, Croatia, Ireland, Finland, Portugal, Sweden, Bulgaria and Latvia. 

Most of the EU population had not used such products in the last 12 months before the collection of the data. 

More men than women in the EU used tobacco products in the past year with the proportions for both genders having decreased compared to 2022, according to Eurostat.

In the EU, the highest proportion of daily users of tobacco and related products was recorded in the 35–49 age group (21.3%), followed by people aged 25–34 (19.9%) and 50–64 (19.8%).