Europe
Estonia joined those European countries banning smoking in bars and restaurants on 5 June, 2007. The law bans smoking in cafes, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, except for special zones, and at bus stops and underground train stations. Offenders face a fine of 80 euros, while owners of cafes and restaurants can face a fine of up to 2,000 euros.
Finland introduced a similar measure on 1 June.
France took a major step towards a total public ban when it announced it would prevent smoking in workplaces and other public buildings from 1 February 2007.
The law was extended in 2008 to include cafes, restaurants and bars.
Its first serious move to cut smoking levels came in October 2003, when it raised the price of cigarettes by 20%.
The move provoked a strike from furious tobacconists, many fearing being forced out of business by smokers crossing borders to buy cigarettes in neighbouring countries.
Analysts said the plan was driven by government concern that smoking levels were not declining fast enough in France, and a need to fill an $8.5bn shortfall in the country's health budget.
Correspondents say attitudes to smoking have changed dramatically in France since the 2007 ban and any fears that people will generally ignore the new law should be discarded.
The French health ministry allowed smokers a 24-hour "grace" period for the 2008 New Year festivities in a gesture of "tolerance".
Any smoker caught flouting the ban after then can be fined up to 450 euros (£332; $662), while those who turn a blind eye to smokers on their premises can be fined up to 750 euros.
In Germany, eight states, including Berlin, ushered in 2008 declaring their pubs and restaurants smoke-free.
Almost a third of Germans smoke and the authorities in Berlin have decided not to enforce the restrictions actively for the first six months.
German restaurants and pubs have strongly resisted the bans, not only because of the potential loss of income but partly because of an earlier crackdown on smoking initiated by Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime.
The sensitivity of the issue has prompted the authorities to allow special rooms to be set up purely for smokers.
The toughest rules in Germany are being brought in in Bavaria, where no smoking rooms will be allowed. Lighting up is also likely to be banned at the state's Munich beer festival in October.
Ireland imposed tough anti-smoking legislation in March 2004, banning smoking in pubs, restaurants and other enclosed workplaces.
Anyone caught smoking in a prohibited location now faces a fine of up to 3,000 euros (£2,000).
Despite fears the ban would be widely flouted, BBC correspondent James Helm reported most smokers in pubs adopting a pragmatic view and popping outside to the street or beer garden for a puff between pints.
Italy imposed a ban on smoking in all enclosed public places including bars and restaurants from midnight on 10 January, 2005.
Businesses face a fine of up to 2,000 euros (£1,395) if they fail to ensure their customers do not smoke, while smokers themselves could face a 275-euro (£191) for repeatedly ignoring the new rules.
Not everyone has been so supportive of the new move
The ban has not been welcomed by all, with some bar owners and smokers saying they will ignore the ban on the grounds that cigarettes and smoking are an integral part of Italian bar and cafe culture.
The new rules allow smoking in special sealed-off areas fitted with smoke extractors; however many bar owners say fitting the automatic doors and forced ventilation systems required by law is too expensive.
Tobacconists reported a 20% fall in cigarette sales in the weeks immediately after the ban came into force.
Lithuania has extended its 2007 ban on smoking in bars and cafes to include all public places bars and cafes.
Montenegro: The union of Montenegro and Serbia has one of the highest rates of smoking in Europe, with 40% lighting up regularly.
In August 2004, the Montenegrin part of the union decided to introduce a sweeping ban on smoking in public places in the hope of overturning an established culture of smoking in offices, restaurants, bars and on buses.
Now under the new rules, tobacco advertising and the portrayal of smoking on television will also be banned.
The Netherlands: A tough crackdown on smoking from 1 January 2004 saw cigarettes banned from many public places including railway stations, trains, toilets and offices.
The government also warned hotels, bars and restaurants they would face further measures unless they adopted their own controls on smoking.
Some 30% of the Netherlands' 16 million population are smokers - a higher rate than all other European Union countries except Spain, Greece and Germany.
Norway: A national ban was imposed on smoking in restaurants, bars and cafes from 1 June 2004.
The government says the ban is to protect staff working in these establishments from passive smoking and to "de-normalise" smoking as a social pastime.
Tobacco advertising has been prohibited in Norway for 30 years and a packet of cigarettes costs about £6.
Despite this, one in three people smokes cigarettes, and there has been a rise in tobacco-related deaths.
Portugal introduced restrictions on 1 January 2008 but the rules were not as tight as some other European countries. Portuguese bars smaller than 100sq m (1,076sq ft) can still opt to allow smoking. Public buildings can still have smoking zones, provided they are clearly signposted and ventilated.
Spain: A new law banning smoking in offices, shops, schools, hospitals, cultural centres and on public transport was introduced on 1 January, 2006.
Businesses occupying more than 100sq m have eight months to set up a separate smoking area. Smaller premises have to indicate whether they are smoke-free.
The government says the ban is necessary because smoking is the biggest killer in Spain, with 50,000 smoking-related deaths annually.
Surveys show that about 30% of Spaniards smoke.
A government-sponsored opinion poll released in December showed more than 70% of respondents backed the ban.
Sweden: Smoking was prohibited in all bars and restaurants from midnight in May 2005.
A majority of people questioned in a Temo poll welcomed the ban.
Establishments wanting to allow smoking are required to have a closed-off section with specially-designed ventilation, where no food or drink can be served. But most venues were not expected to be able to afford such renovations.
The ban followed lobbying by the country's licensing sector which said bar and restaurant staff were more likely to suffer lung cancer than in any other profession.
The new restriction could spell a rise in the centuries-old use of "snus" - moist snuff placed under the lip enjoyed by more than 1m Swedes.
United Kingdom: Smoking is banned in nearly all enclosed public spaces - including bars, restaurants and workplaces.
The ban came into force in England early on 1 July. Scotland introduced a ban in March 2006, followed by Wales and Northern Ireland in April 2007.
People smoking in pubs, restaurants, offices and on public transport face on-the-spot fines of £50, while those in charge of the premises could also be fined for allowing smoking.
The pub industry warned of the potential impact on trade and called for smoking-room areas.
About 30% of adults under the age of 65 smoke in the UK, according to recent research conducted by Imperial College in London.
An estimated 42% of people under the age of 65 are exposed to tobacco smoke at home and 11% at work.
The issue of passive smoking has been at the centre of an intense debate between pro and anti-smoking groups, with each side contesting the validity of each other's statistics.
Source: BBC NEWS
More countries (Australia, Bhutan, Canada, Cuba, India, Iran, Kenya, Singapore, Tanzania, United States, Venezuela): HERE
Estonia joined those European countries banning smoking in bars and restaurants on 5 June, 2007. The law bans smoking in cafes, restaurants, bars, nightclubs, except for special zones, and at bus stops and underground train stations. Offenders face a fine of 80 euros, while owners of cafes and restaurants can face a fine of up to 2,000 euros.
Finland introduced a similar measure on 1 June.
France took a major step towards a total public ban when it announced it would prevent smoking in workplaces and other public buildings from 1 February 2007.
The law was extended in 2008 to include cafes, restaurants and bars.
Its first serious move to cut smoking levels came in October 2003, when it raised the price of cigarettes by 20%.
The move provoked a strike from furious tobacconists, many fearing being forced out of business by smokers crossing borders to buy cigarettes in neighbouring countries.
Analysts said the plan was driven by government concern that smoking levels were not declining fast enough in France, and a need to fill an $8.5bn shortfall in the country's health budget.
Correspondents say attitudes to smoking have changed dramatically in France since the 2007 ban and any fears that people will generally ignore the new law should be discarded.
The French health ministry allowed smokers a 24-hour "grace" period for the 2008 New Year festivities in a gesture of "tolerance".
Any smoker caught flouting the ban after then can be fined up to 450 euros (£332; $662), while those who turn a blind eye to smokers on their premises can be fined up to 750 euros.
In Germany, eight states, including Berlin, ushered in 2008 declaring their pubs and restaurants smoke-free.
Almost a third of Germans smoke and the authorities in Berlin have decided not to enforce the restrictions actively for the first six months.
German restaurants and pubs have strongly resisted the bans, not only because of the potential loss of income but partly because of an earlier crackdown on smoking initiated by Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime.
The sensitivity of the issue has prompted the authorities to allow special rooms to be set up purely for smokers.
The toughest rules in Germany are being brought in in Bavaria, where no smoking rooms will be allowed. Lighting up is also likely to be banned at the state's Munich beer festival in October.
Ireland imposed tough anti-smoking legislation in March 2004, banning smoking in pubs, restaurants and other enclosed workplaces.
Anyone caught smoking in a prohibited location now faces a fine of up to 3,000 euros (£2,000).
Despite fears the ban would be widely flouted, BBC correspondent James Helm reported most smokers in pubs adopting a pragmatic view and popping outside to the street or beer garden for a puff between pints.
Italy imposed a ban on smoking in all enclosed public places including bars and restaurants from midnight on 10 January, 2005.
Businesses face a fine of up to 2,000 euros (£1,395) if they fail to ensure their customers do not smoke, while smokers themselves could face a 275-euro (£191) for repeatedly ignoring the new rules.
Not everyone has been so supportive of the new move
The ban has not been welcomed by all, with some bar owners and smokers saying they will ignore the ban on the grounds that cigarettes and smoking are an integral part of Italian bar and cafe culture.
The new rules allow smoking in special sealed-off areas fitted with smoke extractors; however many bar owners say fitting the automatic doors and forced ventilation systems required by law is too expensive.
Tobacconists reported a 20% fall in cigarette sales in the weeks immediately after the ban came into force.
Lithuania has extended its 2007 ban on smoking in bars and cafes to include all public places bars and cafes.
Montenegro: The union of Montenegro and Serbia has one of the highest rates of smoking in Europe, with 40% lighting up regularly.
In August 2004, the Montenegrin part of the union decided to introduce a sweeping ban on smoking in public places in the hope of overturning an established culture of smoking in offices, restaurants, bars and on buses.
Now under the new rules, tobacco advertising and the portrayal of smoking on television will also be banned.
The Netherlands: A tough crackdown on smoking from 1 January 2004 saw cigarettes banned from many public places including railway stations, trains, toilets and offices.
The government also warned hotels, bars and restaurants they would face further measures unless they adopted their own controls on smoking.
Some 30% of the Netherlands' 16 million population are smokers - a higher rate than all other European Union countries except Spain, Greece and Germany.
Norway: A national ban was imposed on smoking in restaurants, bars and cafes from 1 June 2004.
The government says the ban is to protect staff working in these establishments from passive smoking and to "de-normalise" smoking as a social pastime.
Tobacco advertising has been prohibited in Norway for 30 years and a packet of cigarettes costs about £6.
Despite this, one in three people smokes cigarettes, and there has been a rise in tobacco-related deaths.
Portugal introduced restrictions on 1 January 2008 but the rules were not as tight as some other European countries. Portuguese bars smaller than 100sq m (1,076sq ft) can still opt to allow smoking. Public buildings can still have smoking zones, provided they are clearly signposted and ventilated.
Spain: A new law banning smoking in offices, shops, schools, hospitals, cultural centres and on public transport was introduced on 1 January, 2006.
Businesses occupying more than 100sq m have eight months to set up a separate smoking area. Smaller premises have to indicate whether they are smoke-free.
The government says the ban is necessary because smoking is the biggest killer in Spain, with 50,000 smoking-related deaths annually.
Surveys show that about 30% of Spaniards smoke.
A government-sponsored opinion poll released in December showed more than 70% of respondents backed the ban.
Sweden: Smoking was prohibited in all bars and restaurants from midnight in May 2005.
A majority of people questioned in a Temo poll welcomed the ban.
Establishments wanting to allow smoking are required to have a closed-off section with specially-designed ventilation, where no food or drink can be served. But most venues were not expected to be able to afford such renovations.
The ban followed lobbying by the country's licensing sector which said bar and restaurant staff were more likely to suffer lung cancer than in any other profession.
The new restriction could spell a rise in the centuries-old use of "snus" - moist snuff placed under the lip enjoyed by more than 1m Swedes.
United Kingdom: Smoking is banned in nearly all enclosed public spaces - including bars, restaurants and workplaces.
The ban came into force in England early on 1 July. Scotland introduced a ban in March 2006, followed by Wales and Northern Ireland in April 2007.
People smoking in pubs, restaurants, offices and on public transport face on-the-spot fines of £50, while those in charge of the premises could also be fined for allowing smoking.
The pub industry warned of the potential impact on trade and called for smoking-room areas.
About 30% of adults under the age of 65 smoke in the UK, according to recent research conducted by Imperial College in London.
An estimated 42% of people under the age of 65 are exposed to tobacco smoke at home and 11% at work.
The issue of passive smoking has been at the centre of an intense debate between pro and anti-smoking groups, with each side contesting the validity of each other's statistics.
Source: BBC NEWS
More countries (Australia, Bhutan, Canada, Cuba, India, Iran, Kenya, Singapore, Tanzania, United States, Venezuela): HERE
