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Nearly 46 million adult Americans smoke cigarettes. That's more than one-fifth of all adult Americans. ¹

Many more smokers are young. Almost a quarter (23 percent) of high school students smoke.²

The good news is that a smaller percentage of the population smokes now than 40 years ago. In 1965, for example, about half of all American men and one-third of all women smoked.¹

Also, more and more people are successfully quitting. Just over 21 in 100 adults were former smokers in 2004, compared to just under 21 in 100 who were smokers. More adults have quit than are still smoking.¹

But this downward trend in smoking has slowed down. The proportion of people smoking has gone down only five percent since 1990.

Here are some more figures about smoking.

• More men than women smoke. But the gap has closed in the last 40 years.
• In 1965, 34 percent of women smoked, compared to 52 percent of men.¹
• In 2004, 18.5 percent of women smoked, compared to 23.4 percent of men.¹

• Every day in the United States, about 4,000 young people between the ages of 12 and 17 try their first cigarette.³
• If young people continue to smoke at the current rate, about 6.4 million of today's children will die early from a smoking-related disease.⁴
• More than 6 million young people are exposed to second-hand smoke daily.⁵

• Smoking is most common among American Indians and Alaska natives. More than 40 percent of people in these groups smoke.¹
• Smoking is least common among Asian Americans. Only 13 percent of people from this group smoke.¹

• Smoking is more common among adults living below the poverty level. Nearly one-third of people in this group smoke.¹
• Smoking is more common among adults who have less than a high school education. Among this group, more than one-third smoke.¹

Smoking is the biggest cause of death and illness in the United States . ⁶

• More than half a million Americans die each year from a disease that's caused by smoking.⁷
• One in five deaths in the United States is due to smoking.
• If you smoke regularly, you have a 50-50 chance of dying from a disease that's caused by smoking.
• The most common diseases caused by smoking are lung cancer, heart disease and stroke. Many other cancers are also linked to smoking.
• About 8.6 million people in the United States had a disease caused by smoking in the year 2000.⁸

This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment. ©BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2008. All rights reserved.