29.1% of the adult population are currently smokers
There are approximately 2.2 million currently smokers in Austria
Smoking in Austria
The prevalence of current smokers in the general population in Austria was 3% lower (at 28%) in 2017 than it was in 2006 (31%). Prevalence has fluctuated during this period but the general trend has been downwards. These data come from the Eurobarometer surveys, the most recent of which was carried out in 2017. In the most recent survey a total of 27,901 respondents from different social and demographic groups were interviewed face-to-face at home, in their mother tongue, across all 28 of the EU countries. The sample for each country is representative, however the sample sizes are relatively small (e.g. most countries had just over 1000 participants, but for Italy, Malta and Lithuania the sample was around 500). Nevertheless, the Eurobarometer surveys are useful as they have estimates for smoking prevalence collected over a number of years which can show trends, as described here.
Deaths
10,166 people die every year due to tobacco smoking in Austria.
e-cigarette vaping
The prevalence of current e-cigarette vaping among adults is 3.67%.
Nicotine Vaping Devices
in Austria
Austria abides by the EU Tobacco Products Directive (TPD) (2014). E-cigarettes can be classified as medicines if medicinal claims are made, and can therefore be regulated under the Austrian Medicinal Products Act, or as tobacco related products, in which case they are regulated by the Amended Austrian Tobacco Act 2016. Since May 2018 vaping is prohibited wherever smoking bans apply, including vaping in cars where minors are present. There is no specific tax on e-cigarettes.
Nicotine Replacement Therapy
in Austria
NRT is available in Pharmacy. NRT is legal to market.