Adult Cigarette Smoking Declines but Habit Continues to Exact Economic, Health Toll: Cancer Society

In the United States, 29 percent of all cancer deaths can be attributed to cigarette smoking.

A view of a close up of a lung x-ray of a cigarette smoker, in an undated photo. American Cancer Society via Getty Images

The rate of cigarette smoking among adults has declined over the past six decades, but only a minority of smokers screen for lung cancer, the American Cancer Society (ACS) said in a statement on Nov. 3.

“Cigarette smoking among U.S. adults dropped from 42 percent in 1965 to 11 percent in 2023. Researchers also discovered that only 18.1 percent of eligible adults who currently smoke or formerly smoked were up-to-date with lung cancer screening in 2022, despite cigarette smoking being a leading risk factor for lung cancer,” the statement said.