Number of daily smokers in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia: Number of daily smokers was 2.98 million in 2012. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2012)
2.98 million
Change on year
up 3.7%
World rank
42nd
of 186 countries
All-time high
2.98 million
in 2012
All-time low
399,714
in 1980
Years of data
33
1980–2012

Number of daily smokers in Saudi Arabia, 1980–2012

01.0M2.0M3.0M1980199620121980: 399.7k1981: 416.0k1982: 431.8k1983: 447.0k1984: 462.4k1985: 480.3k1986: 505.7k1987: 544.0k1988: 626.3k1989: 734.8k1990: 864.9k1991: 971.0k1992: 1.1M1993: 1.2M1994: 1.3M1995: 1.3M1996: 1.4M1997: 1.4M1998: 1.5M1999: 1.5M2000: 1.6M2001: 1.7M2002: 1.8M2003: 2.0M2004: 2.1M2005: 2.2M2006: 2.4M2007: 2.5M2008: 2.6M2009: 2.7M2010: 2.8M2011: 2.9M2012: 3.0M

Source: IHME (2012) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2012, number of daily smokers in Saudi Arabia stood at 2.98 million. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 3.7% on the previous year and up 61.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of daily smokers in Saudi Arabia peaked at 2.98 million in 2012 and was at its lowest, 399,714, in 1980.

That places Saudi Arabia 42nd out of 186 countries with data for 2012, putting it in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Number of daily smokers in Saudi Arabia, year by year

Annual values for Number of daily smokers in Saudi Arabia, 1980 to 2012.
Year Value Change
1980 399,714 —
1981 415,989 +4.1%
1982 431,809 +3.8%
1983 446,998 +3.5%
1984 462,407 +3.4%
1985 480,286 +3.9%
1986 505,653 +5.3%
1987 543,988 +7.6%
1988 626,321 +15.1%
1989 734,803 +17.3%
1990 864,854 +17.7%
1991 970,977 +12.3%
1992 1.08 million +10.9%
1993 1.18 million +9.2%
1994 1.26 million +7.5%
1995 1.34 million +6.1%
1996 1.41 million +5.1%
1997 1.45 million +2.7%
1998 1.49 million +2.6%
1999 1.54 million +3.6%
2000 1.62 million +5.0%
2001 1.72 million +6.4%
2002 1.84 million +7.3%
2003 1.98 million +7.5%
2004 2.12 million +7.0%
2005 2.24 million +5.8%
2006 2.36 million +5.0%
2007 2.46 million +4.5%
2008 2.56 million +4.1%
2009 2.66 million +3.9%
2010 2.77 million +3.9%
2011 2.87 million +3.8%
2012 2.98 million +3.7%

Saudi Arabia compared with similar countries

  • Saudi Arabia's 2.98 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 945,796, 3.1× the median. (58 countries reporting)
  • Saudi Arabia's 2.98 million is above the median for Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan & Pakistan, which is 1.24 million, 2.4× the median. (23 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 504,797 399,714 734,803 10
1990s 1.26 million 864,854 1.54 million 10
2000s 2.16 million 1.62 million 2.66 million 10
2010s 2.87 million 2.77 million 2.98 million 3

Countries ranked near Saudi Arabia

  1. 39 Iraq 3.22 million compare
  2. 40 Morocco 3.16 million compare
  3. 41 Algeria 3.12 million compare
  4. 43 Australia 2.96 million compare
  5. 44 Kazakhstan 2.96 million compare
  6. 45 Democratic Republic of Congo 2.87 million compare

See the full ranking of 186 places →

More reference data data for Saudi Arabia

All data for Saudi Arabia →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of daily smokers in Saudi Arabia?
Number of daily smokers in Saudi Arabia was 2.98 million in 2012, according to IHME (2012) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of daily smokers recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The highest recorded value was 2.98 million in 2012.
What is the lowest number of daily smokers recorded in Saudi Arabia?
The lowest recorded value was 399,714 in 1980.
How does Saudi Arabia rank for number of daily smokers?
Saudi Arabia ranks 42nd out of 186 countries with data for 2012.
Is number of daily smokers rising or falling in Saudi Arabia?
Over the last ten years it is up 61.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Saudi Arabia 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.

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Number of daily smokers in Saudi Arabia. Statizoid, drawing on IHME (2012) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 29 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/number-of-total-daily-smokers/saudi-arabia/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of daily smokers
Source
IHME (2012) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
186 places, 6,138 data points, 1980–2012
Last refreshed

Estimates of the total number of people who smoke cigarettes at least daily (across men and women of all ages).