The share of regular smokers in Greece fell to 22.6% in 2025, from 24.2% in 2022, according to Eurostat, moving the country out of the EU’s top three for smoking prevalence.
The sharpest decline was among adults aged 35–49, where the smoking rate dropped from 35.5% to 28.3%. Smoking also became less common among those aged 25–34, falling from 30.8% to 28.3%, although more than one in four still smoke.
More modest declines were recorded among people aged 50–64 (from 29.1% to 27.4%) and 16–24 (from 16.8% to 16.3%). By contrast, the smoking rate among those aged 65 and over rose from 9.2% in 2022 to 13.3% in 2025.
Bulgaria, Sweden and Croatia rank in the top three, while the survey also covers e-cigarettes, heated tobacco products (IQOS) and nicotine pouches (snus).
Smoking declined more sharply among women, with the rate falling from 18.4% in 2022 to 15.9% in 2025. Among men, the decline was more modest, from 30.4% to 29.6%.
Across the EU, Greece fell from second place behind Bulgaria in 2022 to joint fourth with Cyprus in 2025.
Sources: Kathimerini
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