Number of non-smokers climbs in Czech Republic

The number of non-smokers in the Czech Republic rose by 3.5 percent between 2016 and 2017, according to new data released on Thursday. Last year 24 percent of respondents in an annual survey conducted by the State Health Institute said that they were smokers.

The latest figures were released on the first anniversary of the introduction of a ban on smoking in Czech bars and restaurants.

The acting health minister, Adam Vojtěch, said the prohibition was influencing the number of smokers in view of the fact that young people were the biggest smokers and many of them begin the habit in bars and nightclubs.

Author: Ian Willoughby