[Bissaka]

I don't have stats on Smoking/Tabacco. but from the islamic perspective 'Any drink that intoxicates is unlawful.' and alcohol/drugs were specifically mentioned in the quran. This is why Smoking/Tabacco only was forbidden by scholars through a fatwa recently[1]. Saudi Arabia mentioned in the article as one of the highest smokers (23 rd) worldwide.

What the scholars did is basically infer that since smoking is harmful to the body, and since Islam prohibits harming your mind and body, smoking was then considered haram.

Muslim smokers would then just consider it a lesser sin, compared to Alcohol/Gambling/Interest..etc.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_views_on_tobacco