10 Countries with the Most Cigarette Smokers per Capita

7. Timor-Leste

Prevalence of Cigarette Smoking in 2022: 31.5%

Home to around 1.3 million people, Timor-Leste (or East Timor) is an island country in Southeast Asia, located on the southernmost edge of the Indonesian archipelago. Smoking is an integral part of the country’s fabric and nearly two-thirds of its male population is hooked on the habit.

To bring the smoking rate down, the government increased the excise tax on tobacco by 163% in January 2022 from $19/kg to $50/kg, and then hiking it further to $100/kg a year later, thus impacting the cigarette prices considerably.