Stable smoking habits in Norway

In 1997, 33.6 per cent of the adult population in Norway smoked daily, according to figures from Statistics Norway's 1997 omnibus surveys. A further 11.6 per cent light up occasionally. In 1996 daily smokers made up 33.1 per cent of the population.

Conducted among people aged 16 to 74, the survey showed that 34.5 per cent of men smoked in 1997, while 32.7 per cent of women smoked.

In 1973, 51 per cent of the adult male population smoked, against a current rate of about 35 per cent, although the decline has stagnated in recent years. The percentage of daily smokers among women has stayed constant at just over 30 per cent since 1973. The difference between the genders in the percentage of smokers has virtually vanished, as almost as many women as men now smoke daily.

New Statistics

Smoking habits of Norwegians, 1997.
Statistics are compiled every year for the National Council for Smoking and Health and are published in the Weekly Bulletin of Statistics. For more information, contact: Rita Lindbak, tel. +47 22 24 89 90, National Council for Smoking and Health, or Hanne Teigum, tel. +47 21 09 46 62, e-mail: hte@ssb.no.

Weekly Bulletin issue no. 7, 1998