| Guangzhou, China | Adana, Turkey | Lexington, KY, USA | Salzburg, Austria | Cape Town, South Africa | Reykjavik, Iceland | Krakow, Poland | Vancouver, Canada | Manila, Philippines | London, UK | Bergen, Norway | Hanover, Germany | Sydney, Australia | Uppsala, Sweden | |
| Males | ||||||||||||||
| Subjects | 234 | 389 | 203 | 682 | 312 | 399 | 264 | 338 | 378 | 320 | 324 | 346 | 261 | 283 |
| Overall | 9.4 (1.9) | 19.8 (2.0) | 11.7 (2.2) | 13.4 (1.3) | 22.8 (2.5) | 9.1 (1.5) | 14.9 (2.2) | 14.3 (2.0) | 15.1 (2.7) | 18.9 (3.1) | 13.8 (1.9) | 9.9 (1.7) | 6.9 (1.6) | 10.5 (1.9) |
| Age yrs | ||||||||||||||
| 40–49 | 2.9 (1.6) | 15.2 (2.9) | 1.8 (1.8) | 7.7 (1.9) | 17.8 (3.5) | 2.7 (1.3) | 6.0 (2.4) | 7.2 (2.2) | 10.8 (3.9) | 9.9 (3.7) | 10.5 (3.2) | 2.2 (1.6) | 4.0 (2.3) | 6.2 (3.0) |
| 50–59 | 6.7 (3.2) | 20.2 (3.6) | 18.7 (4.7) | 14.6 (2.5) | 26.0 (4.7) | 7.4 (2.4) | 15.9 (4.2) | 8.3 (2.7) | 12.1 (4.3) | 12.3 (5.1) | 9.0 (3.0) | 11.6 (3.6) | 2.7 (1.9) | 4.1 (2.0) |
| 60–69 | 25.6 (6.7) | 30.0 (5.5) | 13.8 (4.9) | 8.0 (2.1) | 28.0 (5.9) | 11.4 (3.8) | 19.1 (5.5) | 16.0 (5.2) | 33.1 (8.8) | 26.7 (5.6) | 15.8 (4.4) | 10.8 93.1) | 12.3 (4.4) | 11.3 (3.8) |
| ≥70 | 14.8 (6.8) | 18.9 (6.4) | 19.2 (7.7) | 25.8 (4.0) | 29.2 (9.0) | 23.0 (5.4) | 31.6 (7.6) | 39.0 (7.6) | 22.9 (8.5) | 36.3 (10.4) | 25.4 (5.0) | 17.9 (5.5) | 12.5 (4.4) | 26.0 (6.2) |
| Smoking exposure in pack-yrs | ||||||||||||||
| Never-smoker | 2.3 (2.2) | 6.7 (2.9) | 1.2 (1.2) | 8.1 (1.7) | 3.2 (3.1) | 7.4 (2.1) | 3.3 (2.3) | 6.7 (2.2) | 8.1 (4.7) | 14.8 (5.7) | 8.7 (2.8) | 1.7 (1.0) | 4.0 (1.8) | 6.0 (2.4) |
| 0–10 | 0.0 (-) | 5.6 (3.1) | 0.0 (-) | 8.5 (3.1) | 14.0 (3.7) | 3.2 (2.3) | 6.7 (4.6) | 8.4 (4.1) | 6.4 (2.8) | 11.8 (5.2) | 6.2 (3.5) | 3.4 (2.6) | 2.4 (2.3) | 4.8 (2.7) |
| 10–20 | 8.2 (3.9) | 11.6 (4.9) | 0.0 (-) | 9.9 (3.3) | 36.4 (5.7) | 1.5 (1.5) | 11.3 (4.8) | 21.7 96.8) | 15.1 (6.7) | 2.8 (2.0) | 21.8 (5.0) | 7.7 (4.5) | 0.0 (-) | 5.0 (3.5) |
| >20 | 15.0 (3.4) | 29.5 (3.1) | 20.5 (3.8) | 22.8 (2.8) | 33.4 (5.1) | 18.8 (3.7) | 22.7 (3.6) | 26.5 94.8) | 24.9 (5.0) | 28.8 (5.5) | 17.9 (3.7) | 19.3 (3.6) | 18.5 (4.7) | 25.9 (5.3) |
| Females | ||||||||||||||
| Subjects | 235 | 416 | 302 | 571 | 530 | 351 | 258 | 475 | 510 | 354 | 332 | 332 | 276 | 263 |
| Overall | 6.4 (1.6) | 9.1 (1.4) | 16.3 (2.4) | 20.5 (1.8) | 16.8 (1.8) | 13.3 (1.8) | 12.2 (2.1) | 12.2 (1.5) | 4.2 (1.1) | 16.0 (2.8) | 9.8 (1.7) | 6.8 (1.5) | 14.1 (2.1) | 8.7 (1.8) |
| Age yrs | ||||||||||||||
| 40–49 | 4.1 (2.0) | 5.5 (1.7) | 10.2 (3.4) | 16.4 (2.8) | 12.1 (2.5) | 10.4 (2.7) | 4.0 (2.0) | 8.2 (2.3) | 3.8 (1.2) | 10.5 (3.7) | 8.1 (3.2) | 6.4 (2.6) | 11.0 (3.5) | 3.4 (2.4) |
| 50–59 | 1.5 (1.5) | 9.8 (2.7) | 14.5 (3.3) | 19.3 (3.1) | 20.8 (3.5) | 7.3 (2.7) | 10.7 (3.8) | 5.8 (1.9) | 3.1 (1.4) | 9.2 (3.5) | 8.2 (2.8) | 4.7 (2.1) | 8.2 (3.2) | 5.6 (2.4) |
| 60–69 | 9.4 (4.0) | 15.5 (4.3) | 23.0 (4.8) | 16.6 (3.0) | 22.3 (4.1) | 20.3 (5.0) | 19.8 (5.2) | 18.7 (4.1) | 7.5 (4.8) | 25.3 (5.7) | 8.3 (3.3) | 6.9 (2.9) | 17.2 (5.0) | 11.0 (3.7) |
| >70 | 25.0 (9.7) | 11.9 (5.0) | 22.2 (8.0) | 30.1 (5.0) | 13.3 (4.6) | 19.7 (4.9) | 20.3 (6.3) | 21.4 (4.5) | 3.7 (2.5) | 22.2 (8.1) | 15.4 (4.0) | 10.8 (4.6) | 20.6 (5.1) | 15.9 (5.5) |
| Smoking exposure in pack-yrs | ||||||||||||||
| Never-smoker | 4.5 (1.4) | 8.3 (1.6) | 6.4 (2.4) | 13.5 (2.1) | 6.5 (1.7) | 9.0 (2.5) | 13.3 (2.8) | 7.7 (1.8) | 3.2 (0.9) | 6.5 (1.9) | 4.8 (1.8) | 4.3 (1.6) | 9.1 (2.4) | 6.7 (2.4) |
| 0–10 | 20.0 (17.9) | 4.5 (2.6) | 0.0 (-) | 27.4 (5.0) | 22.2 (3.7) | 6.6 (2.6) | 7.5 (4.2) | 5.8 (2.6) | 7.2 (4.3) | 11.0 (5.1) | 1.9 (1.9) | 1.1 (1.1) | 6.2 (3.5) | 3.4 (2.4) |
| 10–20 | 25.0 (21.7) | 16.7 (7.6) | 23.0 (8.6) | 30.3 (6.3) | 25.1 (5.1) | 6.3 (3.5) | 21.2 (7.1) | 21.1 (6.0) | 5.6 (3.5) | 19.0 (8.7) | 12.9 (4.1) | 9.8 (4.7) | 21.0 98.4) | 21.5 (7.8) |
| >20 | 50.0 (20.4) | 18.9 (6.4) | 34.1 (5.1) | 32.3 (5.0) | 25.9 (5.4) | 33.9 (5.5) | 5.0 (3.5) | 26.3 (4.8) | 4.3 (3.4) | 29.7 (6.8) | 25.2 (5.7) | 13.8 94.3) | 32.3 (6.5) | 11.0 (4.3) |
Data are presented as n or % (se). The data exclude participants with unacceptable or unreproducible spirometry, and those who reported ever having had part of a lung removed. #: stage I or higher COPD defined as having a forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity ratio below the lower limit of normal given age and sex, using reference equations from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.