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The Top 5 Countries with the Lowest Percentage of 11 Year Old First Time Smokers
| Country | 11 Year Old Boys | 11 Year Old Girls | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Macedonia (TFYR) | 4.1% | 2.3% |
| 2 | Greece | 5.2% | 2.4% |
| 3 | Malta | 8.7% | 5.1% |
| 4 | United States | 8.3% | 6.1% |
| 5 | Belgium (Flemish) | 11.9% | 5.4% |
Special Report
- Except in The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, reported rates of ever having smoked rise more between 11 and 13 years of age than between 13 and 15. In almost half the countries and regions, these rates are at least three times higher for 13-year-olds than for 11-year-olds. The largest difference is observed in Malta, where the rate rises from 7% to 30%.
- Among 11-year-olds, rates of ever having smoked are substantially higher for boys than for girls of the same age in almost all countries and regions.
- Smoking rates are below 25% in 30 countries and regions at age 11, but only in 2 at age 13 and in none at age 15. Countries such as Greece, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and the United States consistently show low rates across age groups, while Estonia, Greenland, Latvia, Lithuania and Ukraine show high rates.
- Young people are more likely to be smokers if they have parents, older siblings and/or friends who smoke.
- In the United States 80% of adult smokers reportedly started smoking before the age of 18.
Tags:
Top 5 Lowest, Tobacco & Smoking Statistics
Sources: Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (World Health Organization) report: Young people's health in context.
List Notes: Data is Percentage of 11 year olds reporting ever having smoked at least one cigarette, cigar or pipe. The definition of those "ever having smoked" covers a range of young people, including those who experiment, those who might eventually become regular smokers, those who already smoke regularly, those who have stopped smoking, those who might stop in the near future and those who smoke occasionally. The survey was conducted by HBSC between the years 2001-2002.
Sources: Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (World Health Organization) report: Young people's health in context.
List Notes: Data is Percentage of 11 year olds reporting ever having smoked at least one cigarette, cigar or pipe. The definition of those "ever having smoked" covers a range of young people, including those who experiment, those who might eventually become regular smokers, those who already smoke regularly, those who have stopped smoking, those who might stop in the near future and those who smoke occasionally. The survey was conducted by HBSC between the years 2001-2002.
