"Among the 47.0 million current cigarette smokers aged 12 or older in 2018, 27.3 million were daily cigarette smokers. The 27.3 million daily smokers correspond to 58.2 percent of current cigarette smokers (Figure 4). Thus, nearly three fifths of current cigarette smokers in 2018 smoked cigarettes daily. The percentage of current smokers in 2018 who smoked cigarettes daily was lower than the percentages in most years from 2002 to 2012, but it was similar to the percentages in 2013 to 2017 (2018 DT 7.26).

"The majority of the 58.8 million current (i.e., past month) tobacco users in 2018 were current cigarette smokers (Figure 2), as has been the case historically.18 Specifically, 47.0 million people aged 12 or older in 2018 were current cigarette smokers, 12.2 million people were current cigar smokers, 8.0 million people were current users of smokeless tobacco, and 2.1 million people currently smoked pipe tobacco.

"The perceived availability of cigarettes continued a long-term decline in 8th and 10th grade to historic low levels, with a significant decline in 10th grade. (Availability of cigarettes in 12th grade was first asked this year, so trend data are not yet available). After holding fairly steady at very high levels for some years, perceived availability reported by 8th and 10th graders began to decline modestly after 1996, very likely as a result of increased enforcement of laws prohibiting sale to minors under the Synar Amendment and FDA regulations.