Nearly one quarter of Norwegians aged 16 to 79 use at least one tobacco product or e-cigarette daily. Young women stand out particularly in the statistics, according to new data from Statistics Norway.
Sixteen percent of the population uses snus daily while 7 percent smoke cigarettes daily. Snus is a moist tobacco pouch placed under the lip that's popular across Scandinavia.
In 2018, snus overtook smoking as Norway's most used tobacco product. Now more than twice as many people use snus daily compared to those who smoke every day, according to Statistics Norway advisor Sindre Haugen.
One in three Norwegians report using tobacco products regularly, meaning either daily or occasionally.
Young women show a notable increase in tobacco use. Women aged 16 to 24 who report regular smoking has risen from 11 to 18 percent.
E-cigarettes are most prevalent among this age group, with 13 percent saying they use them regularly.
Daily snus use remains more widespread than other tobacco products. Thirty-five percent of men and 22 percent of women between 25 and 34 years old report daily snus use.
Although snus use is most common among young people, consumption has increased across all age groups. The percentage increase has been largest among people over 35, where the proportion of daily snus users has doubled in the last ten years, Haugen noted.
Norway's tobacco landscape continues shifting toward smoke-free alternatives, though health authorities remain concerned about nicotine addiction patterns developing in younger demographics.