China vs India: Number of daily smokers, men and women

China
269.56 million
in 2012
India
98.02 million
in 2012
China rank
1st
India rank
2nd

Number of daily smokers, men and women over time

  • China
  • India
50.0M100.0M150.0M200.0M250.0M198019962012

How they compare

China currently reports 269.56 million against 98.02 million in India, a difference of 171.54 million.

That makes China's figure about 2.8 times India's.

Across all 33 years both countries report, China has been ahead every year.

China ranks 1st and India ranks 2nd of 186 countries.

China has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.

Head to head by decade

Decade China India Difference Ahead
1980s 194.63 million 77.83 million 116.80 million China
1990s 240.07 million 94.69 million 145.38 million China
2000s 244.43 million 101.78 million 142.65 million China
2010s 263.83 million 96.16 million 167.67 million China

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher number of daily smokers, men and women, China or India?
China, at 269.56 million against 98.02 million in India as of 2012.
What is the difference in number of daily smokers, men and women between China and India?
171.54 million, with China ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for China and India?
33 years are reported by both, from 1980 to 2012.
How do China and India rank globally for number of daily smokers, men and women?
China ranks 1st and India ranks 2nd of 186 countries.
Where does this data come from?
IHME (2012) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Number of daily smokers, men and women. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

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China vs India: Number of daily smokers, men and women. Statizoid, drawing on IHME (2012) – processed by Our World in Data. Retrieved 04 September 2026, from https://gender.statizoid.com/compare/number-of-daily-smokers-gender/china/india/

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About this data

Indicator
Number of daily smokers, men and women
Source
IHME (2012) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
186 places, 6,138 data points, 1980–2012
Last refreshed

Estimates of the number of men and women who smoke cigarettes at least daily (all ages).