In 2014 -2019, the proportion of women smokers went up to 24% from 22.3%.

Meanwhile, the number of men who smoke dropped to 30% from 36.1% since 2009, the society said.

The rise is alarming, and is connected to an increase in lung cancer diagnoses, the organisation said. In 2010-2016, the number of new lung cancer cases among women smokers increased by almost 40%, while the figure among male smokers was only 15%.

Meanwhile, society welcomed an improvement in Hungary’s five-year survival rate (17%-18%) of people suffering from lung cancer, putting the country in mid-field among EU countries.

“This result could exceed 60% with early detection of the disease and appropriate therapy, significantly reducing the number of 6,000 lung cancer related deaths per year.”

Member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) declared May 31 World No Tobacco Day in 1987 to raise attention to the tobacco epidemic and the preventable deaths it causes.