Level of consumption

  • At age 15, more than one in six daily smokers smokes more than half a packet of cigarettes per day.
  • Smokers aged 15-19 smoke an average of almost 5 cigarettes per day.
  • Among the Swiss population aged 15-24, 6.0% smoke half a packet of cigarettes or more per day: 6.8% of men and 5.2% of women.

At the individual level, another essential aspect of smoking behaviour and its consequences is the intensity of tobacco use. This can be understood as a combination of two distinct dimensions: duration (e.g. the number of years of use) and quantity (e.g. the number of cigarettes smoked). The level of consumption is directly associated with the risk of developing smoking-related health problems[1] and is therefore another key indicator in the epidemiological description of smoking (see also our Health risks page).

Number of cigarettes smoked by daily smokers aged 15

Although these figures were not reported in detail in the latest HBSC study (conducted in 2022), the 2018 HBSC data show that more than one in six daily smokers aged 15 smoked more than half a packet per day, around one third smoked between six and 10 cigarettes, and more than half smoked up to five cigarettes (Delgrande et al., 2019[2]). For context, 5.6% of boys and 3.5% of girls of this age smoked daily. Because these estimates were based on a small number of respondents, the figures on the number of cigarettes smoked should be interpreted with caution and were not collected again in the latest HBSC survey wave (2022). In 2022, priority was instead given to another indicator of consumption intensity: the number of days on which cigarettes had been smoked during the 30 days preceding the survey (Delgrande et al., 2023[3]). Among all 15-year-olds who had smoked during this period (15.6% of young people of this age), just under one third (4.5% of all 15-year-olds) had smoked every day or almost every day (i.e. on at least 20 of the 30 days), just over one third had smoked on between three and 19 of the 30 days (5.7%), and another third had smoked on one or two days (5.3%).

Average number of cigarettes smoked by smokers aged 15-25

Swiss Health Survey data on the number of cigarettes smoked show that, in 2022, smokers aged 15-19 smoked an average of 4.6 cigarettes per day, combining daily and occasional smokers (Obsan, 2026[4]). Among smokers aged 20-25, the average was 5.5 cigarettes per day.

Proportion of heavy smokers among 15-25-year-olds

Based on data from the 2022 Swiss Health Survey, an estimated 5.3% of smokers aged 15-19 and 4.7% of those aged 20-24 smoke at least 20 cigarettes per day (Obsan, 2026[4]). The 2022 SHS data also show that, among all 15 to 24-year-olds, including those who do not smoke, more than one in 17 (6.0%) smokes at least half a packet of cigarettes per day (FSO, 2025[5]).

[1] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2014). The Health Consequences of Smoking—50 Years of Progress: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health. Download.

[2] Delgrande Jordan, Marina ; Schneider, Eva ; Eichenberger, Yvonne ; Kretschmann, Andrea. (2019). La consommation de substances psychoactives des 11 à 15 ans en Suisse - Situation en 2018 et évolutions depuis 1986 - Résultats de l'étude Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) (Rapport de recherche No 100). Lausanne: Addiction Suisse. Download.

[3] Delgrande Jordan, Marina ; Balsiger, Nora; Schmidhauser, Valentine. (2023). Consommation de substances psychoactives chez les 11 à 15 ans en Suisse - Situation en 2022 et évolution dans le temps - Résultats de l'étude Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) (Rapport de recherche No 149). Lausanne: Addiction Suisse. Download.

[4] https://ind.obsan.admin.ch/fr/indicator/monam/tabac-nombre-de-cigarettes-fumees-par-jour-age-15; accessed on 30.04.2026.

[5] OFS (2023) https://dam-api.bfs.admin.ch/hub/api/dam/assets/28845217/master ; Accessed on 30.04.2026.

AT Switzerland, April 2026

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