How many men smoke in Europe, mapped

In 2015, the World Health Organization provided percentage prevalence age-standardised estimates for smoking in men aged 15 and over.

This means they are adjusted for differing age comparisons, therefore making it easier to compare the general attitude to smoking in different countries.

Thus enabling visualisations like this map, by Czech cartographer, linguist, and mathematician Jakub Marian.

Picture: Jakub Marian

As you can see, the countries to the North East of the continent tend to smoke the least, while the heaviest smokers can be found in Eastern Europe and some Mediterranean countries like Greece and Albania.

For a worldwide comparison, here are the top ten and bottom ten countries in the WHO dataset for smoking prevalence.

The numbers differed for female smoking populations, comparatively far less prevalent in Eastern Europe.

Picture: Jakub Marian

The map was shared to reddit, where commenters noted the declining prevalence of the habit in most countries.

In the UK, smoking has been declining for decades in part thanks to a smoking ban in public buildings and packaging that highlights the danger to health.

Picture: ONS

HT Jakub Marian

More: An eye-opening look at sexual consent ages around Europe, mapped