Number of total daily smokers in United States

United States: Number of total daily smokers was 38.33 million in 2012. β–Ό Falling

Latest (2012)
38.33 million
Change on year
down 1.2%
World rank
5th
of 186 countries
All-time high
52.56 million
in 1982
All-time low
38.33 million
in 2012
Years of data
33
1980–2012

Number of total daily smokers in United States, 1980–2012

020.0M40.0M60.0M1980199620121980: 52.2M1981: 52.2M1982: 52.6M1983: 52.5M1984: 51.8M1985: 50.9M1986: 50.1M1987: 49.4M1988: 48.7M1989: 47.9M1990: 47.3M1991: 46.9M1992: 46.4M1993: 45.7M1994: 44.9M1995: 44.5M1996: 44.3M1997: 44.1M1998: 44.0M1999: 43.8M2000: 43.4M2001: 43.0M2002: 42.5M2003: 42.1M2004: 42.0M2005: 41.9M2006: 41.6M2007: 41.2M2008: 40.7M2009: 40.2M2010: 39.5M2011: 38.8M2012: 38.3M

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2012, number of total daily smokers in United States stood at 38.33 million. That is the lowest value across all 33 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.2% on the previous year and down 9.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of total daily smokers in United States peaked at 52.56 million in 1982 and was at its lowest, 38.33 million, in 2012.

That places United States 5th out of 186 countries with data for 2012, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 33 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 50.84 million 47.94 million 52.56 million 10
1990s 45.19 million 43.80 million 47.29 million 10
2000s 41.86 million 40.19 million 43.42 million 10
2010s 38.87 million 38.33 million 39.51 million 3

Countries ranked near United States

  1. 2 India 110.19 million compare
  2. 3 Indonesia 52.71 million compare
  3. 4 Russia 38.56 million compare
  4. 6 Bangladesh 24.01 million compare
  5. 7 Japan 23.34 million compare
  6. 8 Brazil 20.73 million compare

See the full ranking of 186 places β†’

More reference data data for United States

All data for United States β†’

Frequently asked questions

What is number of total daily smokers in United States?
Number of total daily smokers in United States was 38.33 million in 2012, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of total daily smokers recorded in United States?
The highest recorded value was 52.56 million in 1982.
What is the lowest number of total daily smokers recorded in United States?
The lowest recorded value was 38.33 million in 2012.
How does United States rank for number of total daily smokers?
United States ranks 5th out of 186 countries with data for 2012.
Is number of total daily smokers rising or falling in United States?
Over the last ten years it is down 9.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this United States data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Number of total daily smokers. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Number of total daily smokers in United States. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 17 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/number-of-total-daily-smokers/united-states/

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About this data

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