The overall number of smokers in Seoul has fallen significantly over the past nine years amid growing public awareness of health and the government’s anti-smoking drive, but the smoking rate among women has risen, data showed Tuesday.

According to the data analyzed by the Seoul Institute, some 23 percent of Seoul citizens aged 20 or older smoked as of 2012, down by 5.6 percentage points from 2003, with the amount of daily consumption falling from 15.2 cigarettes to 14.6.

The smoking rate among men fell to 42.7 percent from 54.7 percent during the cited period, with their daily consumption also inching down to 15 cigarettes from 15.5, the data showed.

In contrast, some 4.7 percent of the female population in the capital city puffed away on an average of 11.3 cigarettes per day in 2012, an increase from 3.8 percent of women consuming 10.7 cigarettes in 2003.

Nationwide, 44.9 percent of the male population smoked an average of 15.3 cigarettes per day, and 4 percent of women smoked 10.8 cigarettes, according to the data.

“An increased number of health-conscious people and the government’s drive to encourage more to quit smoking such as repeated increases in tobacco prices appear to have led more to give up the habit,” chief researcher Kim Sang-il said.

In 2012, the amount of money spent on tobacco by each household of more than two people nationwide came to an average of 18,351 won ($16.46) per month, or 0.75 percent of their average income. The proportion dropped from 1.14 percent in 2005 to 0.96 percent in 2008 and again to 0.77 percent in 2011, according to government data.

Many, however, are struggling to quit smoking, according to the survey by the institute. Nearly half of the smokers in Seoul said they have attempted to quit smoking over the past year, with 61.1 percent citing their growing exposure to stress as a reason for the failure, followed by 28.6 percent pointing to their die-hard habits. (Yonhap News)