One in 10 Dutch youngsters aged 18 to 25 can be classed as a heavy smoker and almost one in three smokes regularly, according to new research from the national statistics office CBS.

One in five young Dutch adults are also overweight. Nevertheless, nine out of 10 consider themselves to be in good or very good health, the CBS research shows.

Youngsters who are overweight are more likely to smoke – 27% of overweight young men and women are smokers compared with 22% of those who are not too heavy.

However, youngsters from an ethnic minority background are less likely to smoke than the native Dutch, the CBS said.