Sad statistics: Turkey was ranked 1st in the world in terms of the number of cigarettes smoked per day

According to a tobacco report prepared by Istanbul MP Gamze Akkush Ilgezdi, about 20 million Turkish residents are regular smokers. Thus, at least one in four residents aged 15 years and older smokes. The president of the Association of Patients with COPD, expert pulmonologist, Professor Medjit Suerdem reports that Turkey ranks first in the world with an indicator of 17.1 cigarettes per person per day. Turkey is followed by Greece with 17 cigarettes a day, Israel with 15.7 cigarettes, Japan with 15.5 and Austria with 15.4.

Medjit Suerdem: "Children suffer most from secondhand smoke. They often develop lower respiratory tract infections and asthma. Scientific studies have shown that in adults, the risk of developing lung cancer, respiratory tract infections, COPD and asthma also increases with secondhand smoke."

According to a report by the Statistical Office of the European Union (Eurostat), the country with the highest smoking rate in European countries is Bulgaria with 29%. In Turkey, which ranks second, 27.3% of the population smokes. The average figure for the EU is 18.4%.

Around the world, about 2 billion people are addicted to cigarettes and other tobacco products. In Turkey, people who want to quit smoking can contact clinics to receive medicines and specialist advice, and they can also call the smoking cessation hotline ALO171.