Italy's smoking rate hovers around 20-24%, with recent data from 2022 showing 24.2% of the population as smokers, a slight increase after years of decline, though other sources suggest rates closer to 20.4%, with males smoking more (around 24-28%) than females (around 17-19%), and higher prevalence in younger to middle-aged adults (25-54).
ISS, 30 May 2022 – Almost one Italian out of four (24.2% of the population) is a smoker: after a long stagnation period, this year we are witnessing a 2% increase. In fact, smokers were 22% in 2019, the last year a survey was carried out before the pandemic.
10 Countries With the Highest Smoking Rates, Nauru Tops the List
Sweden has attained the lowest prevalence of smoking among any nation, largely because of the major shift that has occurred from smoking to snus use in men: another 20% of men and 2% of women use snus daily, but do not smoke.
Countries with the Highest Smoking Rates 🌍🔥 Tobacco use remains a major global health issue, causing 8+ million deaths annually. The highest smoking rates are found in Southeast Asia & the Balkans, with Nauru (48.3%), Myanmar (44.4%), and Kiribati (39.7%) leading the list.
Smoking in Italy has been banned in public places including bars, restaurants, discotheques and offices since 2005. A majority of Italians supported the ban at the time it was first implemented, but there was a lack of support from smokers and some bar owners.
Smoking in public indoor spaces has been forbidden in Italy since 2005, when the national government enacted what was then one of the toughest laws in Europe.
It is also possible to smoke in dedicated smoking rooms of hotels, courtyards, private offices or on balconies which are not open to the public, etc.. Violators are punished by pecuniary administrative sanctions that go from € 27.50 to € 550.
Article 51 of Law No. 3 of January 16, 2003 prohibits smoking in enclosed places, which includes hotels.
For Goods purchased outside the European Community, or purchased in Duty Free shops the following allowances apply for travellers arriving in Italy from outside the European Community: 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars, 2 litres of table wine or 1 litre of alcohol.
Smoking is forbidden in all indoor public places (bars, restaurants, universities, clubs, etc.), unless there are designated, regulation-compliant smoking areas. Fines range from €27.50 to €275, higher if minors or pregnant women are present. Smoking in cars is prohibited if minors or pregnant women are inside.
In January 2025, the municipality of Milan, Italy, implemented a total smoking ban for public areas in the city, excluding selected, isolated zones. This is one of the few smoking regulations adopted in Italy over the last 20 years.
Most countries have a minimum legal age of 18 or 19 years, but it can be as low as 14 (e.g., in Egypt and Malawi) or 16 (e.g., in Austria and Belgium). In Japan, the minimum legal age for purchasing tobacco is 20 years; it is 21 in Guam, Honduras, Kuwait, Samoa, Sri Lanka, Uganda and some parts of the US.
Heavy smokers (those who smoke ⩾25 or more cigarettes a day) are a subgroup who place themselves and others at risk for harmful health consequences and also are those least likely to achieve cessation. Despite this, heavy smokers are not well described as a segment of the smoking population. Methods.
The Tobacco and Vaping Products Control and Regulation Act, effective 5 March 2020, replaced the 2008 Smoke-free Places Act. The new act includes the regulation of vaping and vapour products. It is illegal to sell any form of tobacco to a person under the age of 18 years.
Results. The life expectancy of male smokers, ex-smokers, and never-smokers at age 40 years was 38.5, 40.8, and 42.4 years respectively. In women, the corresponding life expectancies were 42.4, 42.1, and 46.1 years.
Nauru flag with a burning cigarette in an ashtray isolated on a black background. Nauru, a small island country in Oceania, has the highest smoking rate in the world, with 45.2% of its population being smokers.
Vaping is Legal in Italy, with shops available to buy any vape devices or liquids. Taxes on liquids have been raised over the past years, so it may be worth bringing e-liquid for the trip. As is the case elsewhere, vaping is forbidden on public transport and other indoor public spaces.
According to the new legislation, you can no longer smoke in any public areas, including the outdoor seating areas of bars and cafés, and on the street, if you can't be more than 10 metres away from someone else. Failure to abide by the rules can lead to a fine of €40 to €240.
Yes, our rooms are no smoking. In every room we put a no smoking sign. Smokers can smoke on the room balcony. But in Italy the Italian law allows people to smoke in hotel rooms because they are considered a private area and not a public area like the lobby or the corridors.
In Milan, the law compels you to smile. It is prescribed by a city regulation from Austro-Hungarian times that was never repealed. Exemptions included funeral goers, hospital workers or those at the bedside of an ill family member.
Results: In 2024, 26.6% of Italian adults reported to be current conventional cigarette smokers (31.1% in men and 22.3% in women), 11.7% former smokers, and 61.7% never smokers.
Cigs were between €43.50 and €50.50 for 200 in the airport. In Sorrento town they were about €6/7 a pack.
Under the "lavoratori impatriati" tax scheme a significant portion of qualifying income from employment in Italy is exempt from income tax. Specifically, 70% of gross salary or net profit is exempt from income tax, while the remaining 30% is taxable.