The latest European Tobacco Control Scale released by public health researchers, ranked Ireland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and France at the top, based on criteria such as taxation policies, broad smoking restrictions, comprehensive advertising bans, and greater investment in cessation and prevention programs. Mid-ranked countries such as Germany and Austria were docked for partial policy coverage across key tobacco control measures, while Switzerland and Bosnia and Herzegovina were at the bottom, criticized for less strict regulations, tobacco industry influence, and not fully investing in World Health Organization best practices.
However, the ranking does not always correspond directly with smoking prevalence outcomes across Europe. While the U.K. and the Netherlands earned their lofty rankings with smoking rates of 10.6% and 11% respectively, top-ranked Ireland has a smoking rate of 17%, with France checking in at 18.2%, both higher than last-ranked Bosnia and Herzegovina with an estimated smoking rate as low as 15.5% according to the Tobacco Atlas 2025 estimate. Switzerland’s smoking rate is 20%, Austria’s is as high as 21%, while Germany’s is as high as 24%.
