Around 1 billion men in the world smoke cigarettes, mainly because it is portrayed as a masculine habit. Over 300 million men in China smoke cigarettes, which is equal to the entire population of the U.S. Around 250 million women in the United States are daily smokers. The tobacco industry uses seductive but false images to interest women. Tobacco companies have started producing cigarettes specifically aimed at women, claiming they are feminised because of the long, slim, low-tar, and sometimes menthol. Statistics show that women are more highly motivated to smoke than men, and often find it more difficult to quit.
Smoking Trends
percentage of female smokers
1960-2000 selected countries
Japan UK USA
1960: 13% 42% 34%
1970: 16% 44% 32%
1980: 14% 37% 30%
1990: 14% 29% 23%
2000: 14% 26% 22%
Citation:
Jr., Dennis Thompson. "Men, Women, and the Dangers of Smoking" Web. 18 May 2011. <http://www.everydayhealth.com/smoking-and-gender-differences.aspx>.
Philip Morris is the largest leading tobacco company, whose Marlboro brand is the top selling brand of cigarettes. In 1999 the company had over $47 billion in sales. If the U.S. is excluded, British American Tobacco (BAT) sells the most cigarettes worldwide and has the largest network in the most countries. Since the early 1990s, cigarette companies have increased in developing countries and eastern Europe. 
Tobacco contains over 4,000 chemicals, 60 of which are known carcinogens. Smoking-related medical costs totaled more than $75 billion in 1998 and accounted for 8% of personal health care medical expenditures. Death-related productivity losses due to smoking among workers cost the 
Nearly 2 million people are employed to manufacture tobacco, two-thirds of whom work in China, India, and Indonesia. There are rarely job loses in this field because the reduction of tobacco consumption is not typically significant. Technological advances on farming and and manufacturing have a much bigger impact on jobs.
