Smoking Is a Dying Habit. Not in Germany.

livemint.com:

public health officials in Germany are raising the alarm over an unexpected uptick in cigarette smoking—including among the young—that started in the wake of the Covid-19 lockdowns. The overall smoking rate in Germany was just over 34% in July, according to the most recent findings from Debra, a bimonthly survey funded by the German Health Ministry. In March 2020, the rate was 26.5%.

The percentage of Germans between 14 and 17 years old who said they smoked cigarettes jumped to 15.9% in 2022, from 8.7% in 2021, according to Debra. This makes Germany an outlier among other developed nations. Other European countries, including Sweden, Ireland and the Netherlands, have seen steady decreases in smoking rates, said Rüdiger Krech, director of health promotion for the World Health Organization.

“We’re so baffled around this," he said. “In so many areas of public health and health systems, Germany is performing very well. Here, it is an outlier." Among a number of possible factors, Krech and other experts said pandemic-related disruptions to work and social rhythms might be leading people to spend more time at home, where smoking isn’t restricted.

In the U.S., cigarette sales resumed a yearslong decline after a brief halt during the pandemic. A survey found 4% of 12th-grade U.S. students smoked cigarettes in 2022, roughly the same as in 2021 and below prepandemic levels.

The smoking rate for U.S. adults in 2021 dropped to 11.5%, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.