The number of United States cigarette smokers has dropped to an all-time low.
In the 1960s, 42 percent of U.S. adults smoked. As of 2022, aproximately 11 percent of U.S. adults smoked, marking the lowest percentage in recorded history. The decline is thanks to greater education and awareness surrounding the risk factors associated with cigarette smoking such as lung cancer and heart disease. Cigarette taxes, tobacco. product price hikes, and changes in social acceptability have also contibuted to the decline.
“I think that smoking will continue to ebb downwards, but whether the prevalence of nicotine addiction will drop, given the rise of electronic products, is not clear,” says Dr. Jonathan Samet, a contributing author to U.S. Surgeon General reports on smoking and health. Indeed, the use of electronic cigarettes has risen as the rates of cigarette smoking have declined.
