A new global study on smoking shows that Russia holds the leading position on the number of smokers, the Russian Ministry of Health and Social Development said on Tuesday. The figures are part of a study conducted by the World Health Organization, RIA Novosti reports.
According to the study, which was made in 2009, more than 60 percent of all Russian men and almost 22 percent of Russian women smoke. The total number of smokers amount to almost 44 million.
The high level of smoking is registered in all groups irrespectively of sex and age, and constitute a significant risk to the health of Russians, Deputy Minister Yuri Voronin told the press.
In a recent government session, Russian Minister of Health and Social Development Tatyana Golikova said that as many as 400,000 Russians yearly die of diseases triggered by smoking.
