'Incredible' milestone reached as Sweden becomes a smoke-free country

Recorded: May 26, 2026, 4:01 p.m.

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The Local Europe ABVästmannagatan 43113 25 StockholmSweden

Health

'Incredible' milestone reached as Sweden becomes a smoke-free country

TT/Emma Löfgren - news@thelocal.se

Published: 25 May, 2026 CET.
Updated: Mon 25 May 2026 08:36 CET

6 comments

Fewer than five percent of Swedes now smoke regularly. Photo: Pontus Lundahl/TT

Sweden has reached its target of fewer than five percent of the population smoking regularly – and is consequently considered "smoke-free".

"It is an incredible development that a harmful behaviour can be reduced to this extent," Mats Ramstedt, head of research at the Swedish Council for Information on Alcohol and Other Drugs (CAN), told the TT news agency.
For the first time in CAN's surveys, fewer than five percent smoke regularly in Sweden, according to the 2025 annual report on smoking and snus habits, which means that the political goal for Sweden to be smoke-free by 2025 has been achieved.
The proportion of daily smokers dropped from 16 to 4.8 percent between 2003 and 2025, according to the new report.
"It is not just the proportion of smokers that has decreased; we also see that people are smoking fewer cigarettes. Given the health risks associated with cigarette smoking, this is obviously very positive," said Ramstedt.
Smoking has been declining in Sweden since the late 1970s (for comparison: in the early 1980s, over 30 percent of Swedes smoked daily), thanks to broad preventative work, according to Ramstedt.
"The first and perhaps most vital point is that accessibility has been drastically reduced. It is both harder and more expensive to smoke today," said Ramstedt, citing taxes and real-term prices rising by 45 percent since 2003.
FROM THE LOCAL'S ARCHIVE: How Sweden is close to stubbing out smoking for good
He also credited efforts made to deter people from starting to smoke in the first place, such as advertising bans, and to make it easier for people to quit.
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Meanwhile, Sweden has seen a sharp increase in the use of snus in recent years – the small nicotine pouches popular in Sweden – a factor that the tobacco industry often highlights as a major reason for Sweden's low proportion of smokers.
"One must keep in mind that smoking had already decreased sharply before we saw this rise in snus. In a way, that argues against it being a decisive factor in reducing smoking," said Ramstedt, but conceded that more research into its role could provide useful insights. "My assessment is that there is a lack of studies proving this, and I would maintain that it is primarily down to preventative measures."
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Comments (6)

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mimme

2 hours ago

Well I think they got lucky in their poll as in my building most of the people smoke and they are all Swedish pensioners, but young people snus like crazy so there cigarette usage seems like it is none

1
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1 day ago

Smoking is disgusting, and I find the majority of people who smoke to be incredibly entitled. Well done Sweden!!!

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10 hours ago

Interesting. 🤔 I’ve seen more and more people smoking over the past 1–2 years.

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Simon

23 hours ago

Seeing the cigarette litter all around central stockholm and Gamla Stan you would not think this is the case.

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Semla

1 day ago

Hej,
Great achievement.
Best regards,
Snus :D

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Sweden has achieved its objective of becoming a smoke-free country by ensuring that fewer than five percent of the population smoke regularly. This milestone is described as an incredible development, particularly by Mats Ramstedt, head of research at the Swedish Council for Information on Alcohol and Other Drugs (CAN). According to the 2025 annual report on smoking and snus habits, the proportion of daily smokers in Sweden dropped significantly, falling from sixteen percent in 2003 to four point eight percent in 2025. Ramstedt emphasized that this reduction is positive because not only has the proportion of smokers decreased, but individuals are also smoking fewer cigarettes, which is beneficial given the associated health risks.

The decline in smoking habits in Sweden has been the result of comprehensive preventative measures implemented since the late 1970s. A crucial element in this success was the drastic reduction in accessibility to smoking, which involved increasing taxes and rising real-term prices by forty-five percent since 2003. Furthermore, efforts were made to discourage initiation of smoking through advertising bans and to facilitate the process of quitting for smokers.

Regarding the multifaceted factors influencing this trend, Ramstedt noted that while the rise in the use of snus, the small nicotine pouches popular in Sweden, has been observed, it is not considered a decisive factor in reducing overall smoking rates. He maintained that the primary achievement is attributable to preventative measures rather than snus use, suggesting a lack of studies to definitively prove the latter’s impact. The overall reduction in smoking is thus largely credited to the combination of public health strategies, economic disincentives, and policy interventions.