Malta reported a smoking rate of 22% in 2023, ranking 13th among EU member states when ordered from highest to lowest prevalence, according to statistics published Saturday by Eurostat and the European Parliament.

The average smoking rate across the EU stood at 24%.

In 2023, 22% of the population in Malta said they were smokers, placing the country 13th among the 27 European Union member states in terms of smoking prevalence.

The data shows that Malta's rate was slightly below the EU average of 24%.

The highest smoking rates were recorded in Bulgaria (37%), Greece (36%), Croatia (35%), and Romania (34%), while Sweden reported the lowest at 8%.

Countries such as the Netherlands (11%), Denmark (14%), and Finland (15%) also had relatively low smoking rates.

Other countries with relatively high smoking prevalence included Latvia at 33% and Austria at 32%.

Cyprus and Lithuania both reported a smoking rate of 29%, while France, Slovakia, and Poland each had 27%.

Hungary followed at 26%, and Estonia recorded a smoking rate of 25%, just ahead of Spain, Germany, Italy, and Slovenia, all of which were in line with the EU average of 24%.

The Czech Republic registered a rate of 23%, just one percentage point above Malta.

Following Malta, smoking rates declined further in countries such as Portugal and Belgium, both at 21%, and Luxembourg at 19%.

Ireland, Finland, and Denmark reported even lower figures at 16%, 15%, and 14% respectively.

The Netherlands recorded a smoking rate of 11%, while Sweden had the lowest rate among all member states, at just 8%.

Malta's position just below the EU average suggests a moderate level of smoking prevalence relative to other member states.

Higher smoking rates generally concentrated in Eastern and Southern European countries, and lower rates found in Northern and Western parts of the EU.

A Facebook post by the European Parliament on World Tobacco Day said that tobacco causes over 700,000 deaths every years, and of the 24% EU-wide, nearly 30% are 15 to 24-year-olds.

It also said that most smokers start before the age of 18.