GREECE has the highest smoking rate in the world, with each person puffing over eight cigarettes every day according to ERC, a market-research company. Of the 123 countries surveyed, 17 European countries feature in the top 20. Smoking rates tend to decline when countries get wealthier, thanks to higher taxes, bans and health education; Spain, Japan and South Korea, however, remain resolutely addicted. The hard-smoking French may look as if they are kicking the habit, but around 20% of cigarettes are sold illegally, to avoid hefty tobacco duty, and are not included in the figures. The tiny cigarette consumption of Indians compared with the Chinese might in part be explained by Indian fondness for chewing tobacco.
