Share of adults who smoke in South Africa

South Africa: Share of adults who smoke was 23.5 in 2022. ▬ Flat

Latest (2022)
23.5
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
61st
of 166 countries
All-time high
23.5
in 2022
All-time low
22.6
in 2000
Years of data
7
2000–2022

Share of adults who smoke in South Africa, 2000–2022

05101520252000201120222000: 22.62005: 22.82007: 22.82010: 232015: 23.22020: 23.42022: 23.5

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

South Africa recorded 23.5 for share of adults who smoke in 2022. That is the highest value across all 7 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.4% on the previous year and up 2.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of adults who smoke in South Africa peaked at 23.5 in 2022 and was at its lowest, 22.6, in 2000.

That places South Africa 61st out of 166 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the middle of the range.

Share of adults who smoke in South Africa, year by year

Annual values for Share of adults who smoke in South Africa, 2000 to 2022.
Year Value Change
2000 22.6
2005 22.8 +0.9%
2007 22.8 +0.0%
2010 23 +0.9%
2015 23.2 +0.9%
2020 23.4 +0.9%
2022 23.5 +0.4%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2000s 22.73 22.6 22.8 3
2010s 23.1 23 23.2 2
2020s 23.45 23.4 23.5 2

Countries ranked near South Africa

  1. 58 Samoa 24.1 compare
  2. 59 Belgium 24 compare
  3. 60 Switzerland 23.6 compare
  4. 61 Palau 23.5 compare
  5. 63 China 23.1 compare
  6. 64 Kyrgyzstan 23 compare

See the full ranking of 167 places →

More reference data data for South Africa

All data for South Africa →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of adults who smoke in South Africa?
Share of adults who smoke in South Africa was 23.5 in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of adults who smoke recorded in South Africa?
The highest recorded value was 23.5 in 2022.
What is the lowest share of adults who smoke recorded in South Africa?
The lowest recorded value was 22.6 in 2000.
How does South Africa rank for share of adults who smoke?
South Africa ranks 61st out of 166 countries with data for 2022.
Is share of adults who smoke rising or falling in South Africa?
Over the last ten years it is up 2.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this South Africa data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of adults who smoke. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of adults who smoke in South Africa. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 27 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-adults-who-smoke/south-africa/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of adults who smoke
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
167 places, 1,169 data points, 2000–2022
Last refreshed