Cigarette smoking among Dutch people dropped to an all-time low of 25 percent in 2011, down from an average of 70 percent in the middle of the twentieth century. The figures were released by anti-smoking foundation Stivoro.

Over recent years, the number of smokers had stabilised at around 28 percent of people over the age of 15. Last year, however, the figure suddenly fell to 25 percent.

The figure fell, the organisation says, when quit-smoking programmes were included in basic health insurance coverage. But Stivoro is concerned that government cutbacks will reverse the trend; as of 1 January, the programmes are no longer covered by insurance companies. The foundation says there is already a noticeable drop in the number of people seeking help to quit smoking.

All in all, men continue to smoke more than women: 27 percent compared with 23 percent. And less well-educated people smoke more than those with higher education: 29 percent compared with 18 percent. Percentages of those who quit smoking were nearly equal among men and women regardless of their educational background.

Currently, around 19 percent of all Dutch smoke daily, down from 25 percent ten years ago. There has also been a drop in the number of cigarettes people smoke per day. Ten years ago the figure stood at 15.6 daily cigarettes; now it has fallen to 13.9.

(cl/ae)

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