Men are on average more likely to smoke in Luxembourg. However, Luxembourg citizens are starting to drop the habit, says a Eurostat study.  Photo: Shutterstock

Men are on average more likely to smoke in Luxembourg. However, Luxembourg citizens are starting to drop the habit, says a Eurostat study.  Photo: Shutterstock

There are fewer smokers in Luxembourg, according to a Eurostat study on tobacco use in the EU published on 15 November. 

According to , 10.5% of the Luxembourg population are smokers, a rather low number, comparing to the 18,4% EU average.  11.7% are men and 9.3 % are women.

The 2019 numbers mark a decrease in Luxembourg’s habits: in 2014, 13.8% of Luxembourg  15.6% male smokers and 12% female. 

7.5% of the Luxembourg smokers reported smoking less than 20 cigarettes every day, and only 3% smoke more than 20 cigarettes daily. 

The impact of lockdowns and the ongoing crisis has changed the number of smokers, as had been previously observed during economic crises, e.g. the last Brazil economic crisis, the Portuguese economic crisis, or in the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis. 

However, these numbers increased : 81.8% of the population said they were non-smokers, 6.9% occasional smokers, and 11.4% daily smokers. 

In 2020, the health ministry launched a smoking cessation assistance programme providing regular consultation for a period of 8 months for those willing to quit. The doctors' consultations are 100% reimbursed by the CNS, and at the end of the programme, the patient will have the drug package 50% reimbursed.