Tobacco, alcohol and other drugs, 2001

In 1973 more than half of the male adult population (51 per cent) were daily smokers - in 2001 about 30 per cent. The female percentage of daily smokers has been just over 30 per cent every year since 1973, with the last years result of 29 per cent. The smoking prevalence is surveyed by Statistics Norway every year.

As shown, the percentage of female smokers practically did not change for almost 30 years, while a considerate decrease was seen among the male smokers. However, this does not imply that women are less successful than men in smoking cessation. In the 1970s, when the first surveys on smoking from Statistics Norway occurred, very few elder women were smokers, but many among men at the same age. At the same time there were as many female as male smokers among the younger.

Years passed by, and the elder, non-smoking women passed the age of 74, “left” the statistics, and were replaced by younger women who smoked as much as men at the same age. Today we find fewer young, and more elder female smokers than in the 1970s. The age differences are evened out, and during this process the amount of female smokers looked stable, even if the patterns changed radically.

There are relatively small gender specific differences in smoking habits in Norway. Smoking prevalence is highest in the age group of 35-54 years, and this applies to both men and women.