Korean study: Adult smoking rate is 22.2%, e-cigarette use rate has increased significantly

Korean study: Adult smoking rate is 22.2%, e-cigarette use rate has increased significantly

The Korean Agency for Disease Control and Prevention recently released a survey report on the smoking rate among adults from 2019 to 2023. The report shows that while the smoking rate of traditional cigarettes has remained basically unchanged, the use of e-cigarettes has increased significantly. The number of smokers is mainly concentrated in men in their 40s and women in their 20s.

According to n.news reported on August 27, the Korean Agency for Disease Control and Prevention recently released a survey report on the smoking rate among adults from 2019 to 2023. The report shows that while the smoking rate of traditional cigarettes has remained basically unchanged, the use of e-cigarettes has increased significantly. The number of smokers is mainly concentrated in men in their 40s and women in their 20s.

The report pointed out that the smoking rate in South Korea was 22.2%, an increase of 0.6 percentage points from 21.6% in 2019. The use of traditional cigarettes remained stable, while the use of e-cigarettes increased from 5.1% in 2019 to 8.1% last year.

In terms of gender, overall smoking rates among men fell slightly, from 40.2% in 2019 to 39.9% last year. However, the use rate of e-cigarettes has increased significantly, from 9.4% in 2019 to 14.2%. Although smoking rates among women are lower than among men, they are also on the rise, with e-cigarette use in particular doubling in three years.

Smoking rates for men and women also vary by age, with men in their 40s and women in their 20s having the highest smoking rates.

From a regional perspective, the region with the highest smoking rate last year was Chungbuk, reaching 25.0%; while the region with the lowest smoking rate was Sejong, with only 14.8%.

The survey also showed that non-office occupations have higher smoking rates, with skilled and manual workers having the highest smoking rate at 34.4%.

Regarding this set of data, Ji Youngmi, Director of the Agency for Disease Control and Prevention, said that smoking is the main cause of various diseases such as lung cancer, heart disease, and stroke. It may also weaken the immune system and increase the risk of infection. She emphasized that although e-cigarettes are in different forms, they are no less harmful to health than traditional cigarettes and contain a variety of harmful chemicals. Users need to remain vigilant.