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Profile
South Korea Flag
Cigarettes
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E-cigarettes
Snus
Pouches
NRT
Data sourced: 2022.   Page updated: 2025-01-07

Prevalence

Year Value Reference/Comment
1998 15.2 million 1A A
2019 9.7 million 1B
2020 8.9 million 1C
2022 8.4 million 1D B
2022 7.9 million 1A A
References:
  1. 1. Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (2023), Korea Health Statistics 2022: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES IX-1), Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Osong, https://knhanes.kdca.go.kr/knhanes/sub04/sub04_04_01.do. Cited in Park, J. E., Jeong, W. M., Choi, Y. J., Kim, S. Y., Yeob, K. E., & Park, J. H. (2024). Tobacco Use in Korea: Current Epidemiology and Public Health Issues. Journal of Korean Medical Science, 39(45), e328. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2024.39.e328 2. Calculation based on population size data of people over 15 years of age (16+). Source of population data: World Population Prospects 2019 [Internet]. United Nations; 2019. (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, editor. Population Division). Report No.: Rev. 1. Available from: https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/
  2. 1. WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000-2025, third edition. (2019). World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/who-global-report-on-trends-in-prevalence-of-tobacco-use-2000-2025-third-edition. 2. Calculation based on population size data of people over 15 years of age (16+). Source of population data: World Population Prospects 2019 [Internet]. United Nations; 2019. (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, editor. Population Division). Report No.: Rev. 1. Available from: https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/
  3. 1. WHO. (2021). WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000-2025, fourth edition (4th ed). World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/348537 2. Calculation based on population size data of people over 15 years of age (16+). Source of population data: World Population Prospects 2019 [Internet]. United Nations; 2019. (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, editor. Population Division). Report No.: Rev. 1. Available from: https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/
  4. 1. WHO. (2024). WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000–2030. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240088283 2. Calculation based on population size data of people over 15 years of age (16+). Source of population data: World Population Prospects 2019 [Internet]. United Nations; 2019. (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, editor. Population Division). Report No.: Rev. 1. Available from: https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/
Comments:
  1. Percentage of adults aged 19 and older who reported the current use World Population Prospects 2019 [Internet]. United Nations; 2019. (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, editor. Population Division). Report No.: Rev. 1. Available from: https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/
  2. Current tobacco smoking rates among people aged 15 years and older, 2022 estimates. Crude adjusted prevalence (%). World Population Prospects 2019 [Internet]. United Nations; 2019. (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, editor. Population Division). Report No.: Rev. 1. Available from: https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/
Year Value Reference/Comment
1998 35.1% 2A A
2019 22% 2B
2020 20.1% 2C
2022 18.9% 2D B
2022 17.7% 2A A
References:
  1. Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (2023), Korea Health Statistics 2022: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES IX-1), Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Osong, https://knhanes.kdca.go.kr/knhanes/sub04/sub04_04_01.do. Cited in Park, J. E., Jeong, W. M., Choi, Y. J., Kim, S. Y., Yeob, K. E., & Park, J. H. (2024). Tobacco Use in Korea: Current Epidemiology and Public Health Issues. Journal of Korean Medical Science, 39(45), e328. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2024.39.e328
  2. WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000-2025, third edition. (2019). World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/who-global-report-on-trends-in-prevalence-of-tobacco-use-2000-2025-third-edition.
  3. WHO. (2021). WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000-2025, fourth edition (4th ed). World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/348537
  4. WHO. (2024). WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000–2030. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240088283
Comments:
  1. Percentage of adults aged 19 and older who reported the current use
  2. Current tobacco smoking rates among people aged 15 years and older, 2022 estimates. Crude adjusted prevalence (%).
Year Value Reference/Comment
1998 6.5% 2A A
2019 5.9% 2B
2020 5.5% 2C
2022 5.4% 2D B
2022 5% 2A A
References:
  1. Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (2023), Korea Health Statistics 2022: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES IX-1), Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Osong, https://knhanes.kdca.go.kr/knhanes/sub04/sub04_04_01.do. Cited in Park, J. E., Jeong, W. M., Choi, Y. J., Kim, S. Y., Yeob, K. E., & Park, J. H. (2024). Tobacco Use in Korea: Current Epidemiology and Public Health Issues. Journal of Korean Medical Science, 39(45), e328. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2024.39.e328
  2. WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000-2025, third edition. (2019). World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/who-global-report-on-trends-in-prevalence-of-tobacco-use-2000-2025-third-edition.
  3. WHO. (2021). WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000-2025, fourth edition (4th ed). World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/348537
  4. WHO. (2024). WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000–2030. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240088283
Comments:
  1. Percentage of adults aged 19 and older who reported the current use
  2. Current tobacco smoking rates among people aged 15 years and older, 2022 estimates. Crude adjusted prevalence (%).
Year Value Reference/Comment
1998 66.3% 2A A
2019 38.2% 2B
2020 34.7% 2C
2022 32.7% 2D B
2022 30% 2A A
References:
  1. Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (2023), Korea Health Statistics 2022: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES IX-1), Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Osong, https://knhanes.kdca.go.kr/knhanes/sub04/sub04_04_01.do. Cited in Park, J. E., Jeong, W. M., Choi, Y. J., Kim, S. Y., Yeob, K. E., & Park, J. H. (2024). Tobacco Use in Korea: Current Epidemiology and Public Health Issues. Journal of Korean Medical Science, 39(45), e328. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2024.39.e328
  2. WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000-2025, third edition. (2019). World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/who-global-report-on-trends-in-prevalence-of-tobacco-use-2000-2025-third-edition.
  3. WHO. (2021). WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000-2025, fourth edition (4th ed). World Health Organization. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/348537
  4. WHO. (2024). WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000–2030. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240088283
Comments:
  1. Percentage of adults aged 19 and older who reported the current use
  2. Current tobacco smoking rates among people aged 15 years and older, 2022 estimates. Crude adjusted prevalence (%).
9.6 million
3 C
22.1%
4 D
5.3%
4 D
39.3%
4 D
References:
  1. 1. Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (2023), Korea Health Statistics 2022: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES IX-1), Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Osong, https://knhanes.kdca.go.kr/knhanes/sub04/sub04_04_01.do. Cited in Park, J. E., Jeong, W. M., Choi, Y. J., Kim, S. Y., Yeob, K. E., & Park, J. H. (2024). Tobacco Use in Korea: Current Epidemiology and Public Health Issues. Journal of Korean Medical Science, 39(45), e328. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2024.39.e328 2. Calculation based on population size data of people over 15 years of age (16+). Source of population data: World Population Prospects 2019 [Internet]. United Nations; 2019. (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, editor. Population Division). Report No.: Rev. 1. Available from: https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/
  2. Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (2023), Korea Health Statistics 2022: Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES IX-1), Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, Osong, https://knhanes.kdca.go.kr/knhanes/sub04/sub04_04_01.do. Cited in Park, J. E., Jeong, W. M., Choi, Y. J., Kim, S. Y., Yeob, K. E., & Park, J. H. (2024). Tobacco Use in Korea: Current Epidemiology and Public Health Issues. Journal of Korean Medical Science, 39(45), e328. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2024.39.e328
  3. 1. WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2017, Country profiles http://www.who.int/tobacco/surveillance/policy/country_profile/en/ 2. Calculation based on population size data of people over 15 years of age (16+). Source of population data: World Population Prospects 2019 [Internet]. United Nations; 2019. (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, editor. Population Division). Report No.: Rev. 1. Available from: https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/
  4. WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, 2017, Country profiles http://www.who.int/tobacco/surveillance/policy/country_profile/en/
Comments:
  1. Percentage of adults aged 19 and older who reported the current use World Population Prospects 2019 [Internet]. United Nations; 2019. (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, editor. Population Division). Report No.: Rev. 1. Available from: https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/
  2. Percentage of adults aged 19 and older who reported the current use
  3. These rates are modelled using all national survey data published since 1990 to estimate the underlying prevalence trends by sex, then applying age-standardization to allow comparison with other countries. They do not necessarily resemble country data from 2015 World Population Prospects 2019 [Internet]. United Nations; 2019. (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, editor. Population Division). Report No.: Rev. 1. Available from: https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Standard/Population/
  4. These rates are modelled using all national survey data published since 1990 to estimate the underlying prevalence trends by sex, then applying age-standardization to allow comparison with other countries. They do not necessarily resemble country data from 2015

Smoking-related mortality

Year Value Reference/Comment
2016 46.8 thousand 1A
2021 44.3 thousand 1B A
References:
  1. The Tobacco Atlas. Available at: https://tobaccoatlas.org/topic/deaths/ Data source: GBD 2016 Risk Factors Collaborators.
  2. Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021. https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-results/
Comments:
  1. Number of tobacco-related deaths in the population in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
Year Value Reference/Comment
2016 11.5 thousand 1A
2021 8.8 thousand 1B A
References:
  1. The Tobacco Atlas. Available at: https://tobaccoatlas.org/topic/deaths/ Data source: GBD 2016 Risk Factors Collaborators.
  2. Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021. https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-results/
Comments:
  1. Number of tobacco-related deaths in the population in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
Year Value Reference/Comment
2016 35.3 thousand 1A
2021 35.5 thousand 1B A
References:
  1. The Tobacco Atlas. Available at: https://tobaccoatlas.org/topic/deaths/ Data source: GBD 2016 Risk Factors Collaborators.
  2. Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021. https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-results/
Comments:
  1. Number of tobacco-related deaths in the population in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
Year Value Reference/Comment
2016 16.35% 1A
2021 13.38% 1B A
References:
  1. The Tobacco Atlas. Available at: https://tobaccoatlas.org/topic/deaths/ Data source: GBD 2016 Risk Factors Collaborators.
  2. Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021. https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-results/
Comments:
  1. Percentage of tobacco-related deaths to deaths from all causes in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
Year Value Reference/Comment
2016 7.3% 1A
2021 5.78% 1B A
References:
  1. The Tobacco Atlas. Available at: https://tobaccoatlas.org/topic/deaths/ Data source: GBD 2016 Risk Factors Collaborators.
  2. Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021. https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-results/
Comments:
  1. Percentage of tobacco-related deaths to deaths from all causes in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
Year Value Reference/Comment
2016 19.3% 1A
2021 19.9% 1B A
References:
  1. The Tobacco Atlas. Available at: https://tobaccoatlas.org/topic/deaths/ Data source: GBD 2016 Risk Factors Collaborators.
  2. Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021. https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-results/
Comments:
  1. Percentage of tobacco-related deaths to deaths from all causes in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
References:
  1. Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2021. https://vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-results/
Comments:
  1. Number of tobacco-related deaths in the population in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
  2. Percentage of tobacco-related deaths to deaths from all causes in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
The GSTHR database is updated regularly by our team. However, please be aware that the information we provide does not constitute legal advice. We cannot guarantee that the information is up to date or accurate, as the regulatory status of different product categories can change at short notice and with little publicity. If you wish to check the legal status of use or possession of any safer nicotine product in a specific country or region, you should verify the information independently. If you have reason to think that the information supplied on the GSTHR is inaccurate, please contact us with details and any references and we will rectify any errors.