Most Indonesian smokers are from the middle-income group.

The percentage of the population over 15 years old who smoke differs by less than five percent between the poor, middle, and upper classes. Quintile 3, which includes the middle class, recorded the highest percentage at 31 percent, compared to other household groups. In fact, quintile 5, representing the top 20 percent of households by expenditure, differs by less than one percent from the bottom 20 percent of households by expenditure.

Quintiles are groupings of household expenditures conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) into five equally sized groups. Quintiles serve as a reference for household groups in Indonesia, measured based on per capita expenditure. The BPS divides total household expenditure, with a value of 100 percent, into five quintiles. In other words, quintile 1 represents the bottom 20 percent of households with the lowest expenditure, increasing progressively to quintile 5, which represents the top 20 percent of households with the highest per capita expenditure.

Nunik Kusumawardani, a researcher at the Health Research and Development Agency of the Ministry of Health, stated that cigarette consumption among lower and middle-income groups ranks third after rice and other food staples. This is regrettable, as it indicates that children's nutrition and education are not prioritized over cigarettes.