In North Macedonia, Nearly One in Four Citizens Use Tobacco Daily

Macedonia ranks among the European countries with the highest percentage of daily users of tobacco and related products. In 2022, this category included 22.5% of citizens aged 16 and over, or nearly one in every four people.

Although Macedonia’s rate is lower than Turkey’s 29.6%, Serbia’s 26.6%, and Bulgaria’s 26.3%, it remains significantly above the average of 16.5% recorded in the European Union in 2025.

According to Eurostat statistics, in 2025, 16.5% of EU residents aged 16 and over used tobacco and related products—including electronic cigarettes, nicotine pouches, and heated tobacco products—every day. Compared with the 17.5% recorded in 2022, this figure represents a slight decline.

Overall, European Union member states recorded a decline in the consumption of tobacco and related products in 2025. By contrast, most countries in the region, including Serbia, Croatia, Bulgaria, and North Macedonia, saw a significant increase in cigarette consumption.

Within the EU, the highest rates of daily use among people aged over 16 were recorded in Bulgaria at 26.3%, Sweden at 23.9%, and Croatia at 23.6%. At the other end of the ranking were the Netherlands at 9.9%, Ireland at 11.7%, Belgium at 13.6%, and Luxembourg at 13.8%.

In Serbia, smokers account for 26.6% of the population, while in Montenegro the figure is 23.8%. Croatia reached 23.6% in 2025, an increase of 2.7 percentage points from 20.9% in 2022.

Slovenia has the lowest rate of active smokers, at 17.3%. This figure is 0.6 percentage points lower than in 2022, when it stood at 17.9%, while Albania recorded 15.1% in 2022.

The breakdown by gender shows that 20.8% of men used tobacco daily, compared with 12.6% of women.