A newly published survey has found that an estimated 80,000 people have quit smoking over the past three years.
According to the Health Ireland Survey, the number of smokers has decreased by 3% in the past three years.
Figures published by the survey which is funded by the Department of Health found that overall number fell from 23% to 20% since 2015.
They also showed that a total of 40% of all smokers attempted to quit in the past year.
The survey which also questioned people’s motives to quit, uncovered that health warnings and plain cigarette packaging played a key role in encouraging people to stop the habit.