Key points

• In 2023, in mainland France, more than three out of ten people aged 18–75 reported smoking (31.1%). Less than a quarter reported smoking daily (23.1%), with a higher rate among men (25.4%) than among women (20.9%). This is the lowest prevalence of daily smoking ever recorded since this indicator was first tracked.

• After a decline between 2016 and 2019, and a period of relative stability at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalence of daily smoking has been falling again since 2021.

• In parallel with the decline in daily smoking, the prevalence of occasional smoking has increased since 2021, reaching 8.0% in 2023. The prevalence of smoking, whether daily or occasional, has thus remained generally stable between 2021 and 2023.

• Social inequalities regarding smoking remain very pronounced, with a 12-point gap in the prevalence of daily smoking between the lowest and highest income groups (28.9% versus 17.3%), a gap also observed according to educational attainment or employment status (unemployed versus employed individuals).

• Although social inequalities remain significant, the decline in smoking in France also extends to less advantaged socioeconomic groups, with a decrease between 2021 and 2023 among those with the lowest levels of education, the lowest incomes, and the unemployed.

• In 2023, 8.3% of 18- to 75-year-olds reported vaping. The prevalence of daily vaping was 6.1% (6.8% among men and 5.4% among women). These proportions have been rising since 2016.