Number of current tobacco smokers, estimate in South Korea
South Korea: Number of current tobacco smokers, estimate was 6.82 million in 2030. ▼ Falling
Number of current tobacco smokers, estimate in South Korea, 2000–2030
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
In 2030, number of current tobacco smokers, estimate in South Korea stood at 6.82 million. That is the lowest value across all 11 years on record.
That represents a change of down 23.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, number of current tobacco smokers, estimate in South Korea peaked at 13.42 million in 2000 and was at its lowest, 6.82 million, in 2030.
That places South Korea 23rd out of 166 countries with data for 2030, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 11 years of available data.
Number of current tobacco smokers, estimate in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 13.42 million | — |
| 2005 | 12.03 million | -10.3% |
| 2007 | 11.65 million | -3.1% |
| 2010 | 11.01 million | -5.5% |
| 2015 | 10.13 million | -8.0% |
| 2020 | 8.94 million | -11.7% |
| 2022 | 8.51 million | -4.9% |
| 2023 | 8.30 million | -2.4% |
| 2024 | 8.06 million | -2.9% |
| 2025 | 7.84 million | -2.7% |
| 2030 | 6.82 million | -13.1% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 6.82 million is above the median for high income countries, which is 935,000, 7.3× the median. (57 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 6.82 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 717,000, 9.5× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 12.37 million | 11.65 million | 13.42 million | 3 |
| 2010s | 10.57 million | 10.13 million | 11.01 million | 2 |
| 2020s | 8.33 million | 7.84 million | 8.94 million | 5 |
| 2030s | 6.82 million | 6.82 million | 6.82 million | 1 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More social development data for South Korea
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 4,407 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 117 (2025)
- Political Rights Rating 2 (2025)
- Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Political rights rating fh, gaps filled 2 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 117 (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0.0001 units per person (2025)
- Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is number of current tobacco smokers, estimate in South Korea?
- Number of current tobacco smokers, estimate in South Korea was 6.82 million in 2030, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
- What is the highest number of current tobacco smokers, estimate recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 13.42 million in 2000.
- What is the lowest number of current tobacco smokers, estimate recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.82 million in 2030.
- How does South Korea rank for number of current tobacco smokers, estimate?
- South Korea ranks 23rd out of 166 countries with data for 2030.
- Is number of current tobacco smokers, estimate rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Number of current tobacco smokers, estimate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 11 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).