Number of daily smokers in China
China: Number of daily smokers was 281.71 million in 2012. ▲ Rising
Number of daily smokers in China, 1980–2012
Source: IHME (2012) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for number of daily smokers in China is 281.71 million, measured in 2012. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
The figure is up 2.3% on the previous year and up 11.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of daily smokers in China peaked at 281.71 million in 2012 and was at its lowest, 182.13 million, in 1980.
That places China 1st out of 186 countries with data for 2012, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 212.42 million | 182.13 million | 236.19 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 256.33 million | 240.11 million | 265.90 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 256.50 million | 252.71 million | 264.13 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 275.44 million | 269.21 million | 281.71 million | 3 |
Countries ranked near China
More reference data data for China
- Temperature anomalies by month 1.15 °C (2026)
- Spring temperature anomalies 1.66 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.0991 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Consumer price index 132.6 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice 0 (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 2.06 °C (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 1.34 °C (2025)
- Democracy 0 (2025)
- Elected parliament 0 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of daily smokers in China?
- Number of daily smokers in China was 281.71 million in 2012, according to IHME (2012) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest number of daily smokers recorded in China?
- The highest recorded value was 281.71 million in 2012.
- What is the lowest number of daily smokers recorded in China?
- The lowest recorded value was 182.13 million in 1980.
- How does China rank for number of daily smokers?
- China ranks 1st out of 186 countries with data for 2012.
- Is number of daily smokers rising or falling in China?
- Over the last ten years it is up 11.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this China data come from?
- The figures come from IHME (2012) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of daily smokers. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimates of the total number of people who smoke cigarettes at least daily (across men and women of all ages).