The United States reduced adult smoking rates to below 10% for the first time in 2024, marking a major public health milestone and lowering long-term disease risks.
“Maintaining a centralised federal capacity for tobacco prevention and control is essential to sustaining progress in reducing smoking prevalence,” researchers noted.
Smoking rates have fallen from 42% of adults in 1964 to 9.9% in 2024, representing around 25 million people, largely driven by sustained public health campaigns and generational shifts. This decline has contributed to nearly four million fewer lung cancer deaths between 1970 and 2022. While 18.8% of adults still use some form of tobacco or nicotine, including e-cigarettes, the continued downward trend suggests further reductions are possible, with national targets aiming for just 6.1% by 2030.
