Sweden achieves smoke-free status with less than 5% of population smoking regularly

Summary

Sweden has officially become a "smoke-free" nation, achieving its target of fewer than five percent of the population smoking regularly. According to the 2025 annual report by the Swedish Council for Information on Alcohol and Other Drugs (CAN), this marks the first time in their surveys that regular smoking has dropped below the 5% threshold. The milestone is attributed to decades of public health campaigns, strict tobacco regulations, and the widespread use of snus (a smokeless tobacco product) as an alternative. Sweden now has the lowest smoking rate in the European Union and among the lowest globally.