Share of men who smoke or use other tobacco in Republic of Korea
Republic of Korea: Share of men who smoke or use other tobacco was 31.5% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share of men who smoke or use other tobacco in Republic of Korea, 2000–2024
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of male adults.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of men who smoke or use other tobacco in Republic of Korea is 31.5%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.8% on the previous year and down 23.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of men who smoke or use other tobacco in Republic of Korea peaked at 63.5% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 31.5%, in 2024.
Republic of Korea ranks 71st of 167 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Share of men who smoke or use other tobacco in Republic of Korea, year by year
| Year | % of male adults | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 63.5% | — |
| 2005 | 54.7% | -13.9% |
| 2007 | 51.8% | -5.3% |
| 2010 | 47.3% | -8.7% |
| 2015 | 41.0% | -13.3% |
| 2020 | 35.2% | -14.1% |
| 2022 | 33.4% | -5.1% |
| 2023 | 32.4% | -3.0% |
| 2024 | 31.5% | -2.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 56.7% | 51.8% | 63.5% | 3 |
| 2010s | 44.1% | 41.0% | 47.3% | 2 |
| 2020s | 33.1% | 31.5% | 35.2% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Republic of Korea
More health data for Republic of Korea
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.43 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.1935 % change on previous year (2090)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 2,072 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 69 deaths (2100)
- Population ages 0-14, female, annual growth rate -3.49 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, female, per capita 0.0497 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, annual growth rate -3.64 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.0523 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of men who smoke or use other tobacco in Republic of Korea?
- Share of men who smoke or use other tobacco in Republic of Korea was 31.5% in 2024, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of men who smoke or use other tobacco recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 63.5% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of men who smoke or use other tobacco recorded in Republic of Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 31.5% in 2024.
- How does Republic of Korea rank for share of men who smoke or use other tobacco?
- Republic of Korea ranks 71st out of 167 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of men who smoke or use other tobacco rising or falling in Republic of Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Republic of Korea data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of men who smoke or use other tobacco. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Estimated percentage of male adults (15 years and older) who currently use tobacco. This includes all forms of tobacco use, such as smoking, chewing or snuffing, but excludes products that do not contain tobacco, such as e-cigarettes.