The percentage of young smokers in Germany has risen sharply over the past three years, according to data from the Forsa survey commissioned by the KKH health insurance fund.

As many as 11 percent of people aged 16 to 29 described themselves as regular smokers, compared to just six percent in 2020, media group Funke reported today.

According to the research, two percent of respondents describe themselves as occasional smokers, and 87 percent as non-smokers.

In the age group from 30 to 49 years, the share of regular smokers increased slightly from 19 to 21 percent, while in the group from 50 to 69 years, the number of smokers fell from 23 to 19 percent.

Overall, 18 percent of those over the age of 16 are regular smokers, the survey found.

A total of 74 percent of women and 77 percent of men stated that they are not smokers.

"The fact that especially young people are smoking more, and regularly, is worrying," Michael Falkenstein, an expert on addiction problems, told Funke.