The number of smokers in the Netherlands dropped to 27% last year, the first fall since 2004, according to research by TNO Nipo. Men still smoke more than women – 30% compared with 24%.

Some 1.5 million people want to stop smoking this year, TNO Nipo told news agency ANP.
The anti-smoking lobby group Stivoro believes that fewer people smoke because of the ban on lighting up cigarettes in cafes and bars which was introduced in July last year.
The organisation wants tobacco addiction to be treated as a medical issue and covered in the basic health insurance package, says ANP.