This study, published in The Lancet medical journal, says two-thirds of men in China now start to smoke before 20 and around half of those men will die from the habit.

The scientists conducted two nationwide studies, 15 years apart, covering hundreds of thousands of people.

The research points out if current situation continues, by 2030 the annual number of tobacco deaths in China, mostly among men, will reach up to two million,  calling it as a "growing epidemic of premature death".

The co-author of the research, Richard Peto said there was hope - if people can be persuaded to quit from this habbit and said "The key to avoid this huge wave of deaths is cessation, and if you are a young man, don't start,".

While smoking rates have fallen in developed countries - to less than one in five in the US - they have risen in China, as cigarettes have become more available and consumers richer.

Authorities have shown concern over the rise, with Beijing even introducing a public smoking ban. But efforts have been hampered by the habit's popularity, and its usefulness as a source of tax revenue, BBC reported.

Globally, tobacco kills up to half of its users, according to the World Health Organization.

BBC