Newly released 2023 data from Eurostat highlights a troubling trend: Latvian men are among the heaviest smokers in the European Union, with their smoking rates rising even as the bloc overall sees a decline.
Across the EU, 24% of adults aged 15 and older smoked in 2023, a 2-percentage-point drop from 26% in 2017. Gender disparities persist continentally, with 28% of men and 21% of women identifying as smokers. However, Latvia stands out for defying the EU’s downward trend.
Sweden leads Europe with the lowest smoking prevalence at 8%, followed by the Netherlands (11%) and Denmark (14%)—nations where both male and female smoking rates remain consistently low (9% and 8% in Sweden; 13% and 10% in the Netherlands; 16% and 12% in Denmark).
At the other end of the spectrum, Bulgaria tops the list with 37% of adults smoking, trailed by Greece (36%), Croatia (35%), Romania (34%), and Latvia (33%). Notably, Latvia’s overall rate inched up from 32% in 2020, contrasting with the EU’s broader reduction.
The gender gap in Latvia is stark. While only 20% of Latvian women smoke—down 2 percentage points from 22% in 2020—male smoking rates have surged: 48% of Latvian men now smoke, up 5 points from 43% in 2020. This places Latvian men second only to Bulgarian males in regional smoking prevalence.
Latvia’s resistance to progress is long-standing. In 2017, its overall smoking rate was also 32% (21% for women, 47% for men), showing little improvement over the years. Among the Baltic states, Latvia remains the heaviest-smoking nation: Lithuania follows with 29% (17% women, 43% men), and Estonia with 25% (18% women, 33% men).
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