The number of smokers aged between 12 and 16 has steadily increases in the past three years, said social and marketing research agency Afis manager Yuriy Aslanov.

Three years ago, only nine per cent of young people in that age were smokers, while the current figure is 18 per cent, he said as quoted by Focus news agency.

Most of the people in Bulgaria become smokers at the age of 16 to 18, Aslanov said. Some 62 per cent of people aged up to 35 are smokers.

The number of smokers in Bulgaria is sufficiently high compared to European countries, but it has already started decreasing.

Annually, between nine and 11 per cent of smokers try to give up smoking but afterwards start smoking again.

Between 60 and 70 per cent of Bulgarians agree that smoking in public places should be banned. The figure includes smokers and non-smokers. Almost equal number of smokers and non-smokers think that smokers should pay higher health care instalments.

Aslanov said that legislation frame and measures concerning fight against smoking were not adequate and failed to correspond to social trends.

He said non-smokers were treated like second-class citizens in Bulgarian pubs. There were always fewer non-smoking places, and those were usually located in the most unpleasant places in the bars.