Increased Smoking in Amsterdam

According to the GGD (Public Health Service) latest research, the total number of smokers in the Netherlands is declining while the figures in Amsterdam showed an increase. massimo ankor/flickr Five years ago, 27 percent of Amsterdam residents smoked. Currently it is at 28 percent, which is relatively higher. Meanwhile, the Dutch population’s rate is less at 23 percent. Although a percent increase from 2008 may not sound alarming, the small percentage is still significant, depending on the population concerned. Fewer locals aged over 65 and women between 25 and 64 are smoking. However, statistics show that majority of the smokers are those between 19 and 34. In 2008, only 29 percent of these younger locals were smoking and the number has risen to 39 percent, which is a similar percentage of smokers in Amsterdam in 1994.