Country's Number of Smokers Rose over Last Five Years, Official Report Says

(Beijing) – The country's number of smokers increased in the past five years despite the government's efforts to curb smoking, a report released by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention on December 28 said.

The country had 316 million smokers above the age of 15 this year, 15 million more than in 2011, the report said. The average number of cigarettes consumed each day per smoker rose from 14.2 to 15.2, the study found.