Until 2014, approximately 20% of South Koreans aged 15 and above smoked daily. However, the rate began to fall below 20% in the following years. After a period of stagnation around 17.5% during 2017-2018, the rate continued to decline annually, reaching 16.4% in 2019. (Image: Freerange Stock/Pexels (CCL))
SEOUL, Jan. 5 (Korea Bizwire) – Recent data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) reveal a significant decrease in the daily smoking rates among South Koreans aged 15 and above in the past decade.
As of 2021, the daily smoking rate – the percentage of people who have smoked more than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime and currently smoke daily – stood at 15.4%, a 7.8 percentage point decrease since 2011.
Until 2014, approximately 20% of South Koreans aged 15 and above smoked daily. However, the rate began to fall below 20% in the following years. After a period of stagnation around 17.5% during 2017-2018, the rate continued to decline annually, reaching 16.4% in 2019.
The decline in the daily smoking rate has been more pronounced among men, indicating a previously higher prevalence of smoking in this demographic. In 2021, the smoking rate for men over 15 (26.3%) was almost six times higher than that for women (4.5%). The decrease over the past decade was much greater for men (15.3 percentage points) than for women (0.6 percentage points).
According to the KDCA, the health risks associated with smoking are numerous and significant. They include various cancers such as lung, esophageal, pancreatic, stomach, colorectal, and cervical cancer, as well as increased risks of myocardial infarction, ischemic heart disease, stroke, asthma, and tuberculosis.
Moreover, it can take as long as 10 to 20 years after quitting smoking for the risk of diseases like lung and pancreatic cancer to decrease to levels comparable to non-smokers. Therefore, quitting smoking as soon as possible is highly advisable.
Professor Lee Young-hoon of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Wonkwang University College of Medicine categorizes smoking as a “disease that leads to addiction,” emphasizing that South Korea has a well-established range of smoking cessation support services and is considered among the best environments globally for quitting smoking.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
