Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States.

Cigarette smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths each year in the United States. This is nearly one in five deaths.
Smoking causes more deaths each year than the following causes combined:
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
Illegal drug use
Alcohol use
Motor vehicle injuries
Firearm-related incidents
More than 10 times as many U.S. citizens have died prematurely from cigarette smoking than have died in all the wars fought by the United States.
Smoking causes about 90% (or 9 out of 10) of all lung cancer deaths. More women die from lung cancer each year than from breast cancer.
Smoking causes about 80% (or 8 out of 10) of all deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Cigarette smoking increases risk for death from all causes in men and women.
The risk of dying from cigarette smoking has increased over the last 50 years in the U.S.