Smoking rates down in Canada, but number of smokers worldwide grows: Study
(Ernest Doroszuk/QMI Agency)
Canada has seen a sharp decline in the number of people who smoke, but the global trend is actually increasing, a new report says.
The number of smokers increased due to population growth, researchers from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington found.
The study found four countries — Canada, Iceland, Mexico and Norway — have reduced smoking rates by more than half since 1980.
The researchers noted the number of cigarettes smoked around the world has grown to more than six trillion a year. In 75 countries, smokers consumed an average of more than 20 cigarettes per day in 2012. Also in 2012, more men than women smoked in every country except Sweden.
The study was published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association in a special issue devoted to tobacco. Wednesday marked the 50th anniversary of the first U.S. surgeon general's report on the health impact of smoking.