In 2002, France had approximately 12 million regular smokers, representing 29% of the population aged 18 to 75. With the fight against smoking having become a confirmed national priority under the Cancer Plan, numerous public health initiatives were implemented, such as significant increases in tobacco prices (the retail price of the best-selling brand rising from €3.90 to €4.60 in November 2003 and then to €5.00 in early 2004), the renewal of prevention campaigns (TV: “Revelation” in 2002, “Burn” and “Secondhand Smoke” in 2004; radio: “Calls to the Tobacco Info Service” in 2004), and the provision of nicotine replacement therapies and other smoking cessation aids. Rarely have such significant resources been deployed to encourage and help the French quit smoking (or not start). The indicators available to date suggest a significant 14% decline in cigarette sales between 2002 and 2003 and a 12% decrease in the number of smokers among those aged 15–75 between 1999 and 2003. The purpose here is to present the latest prevalence estimate based on data from the 2004/2005 Health Barometer. These data, collected from a large sample, will be compared with those from the 2000 Health Barometer, which used the same survey technique. (R.A.)