Smoking killing Aussies as young as 30 years old, new data reveals

New data analysis has debunked the myth that smoking kills only older Australians.

It's been seven years since Melbourne man Ade Djajamihardja suffered a major stroke, forcing him to spend more than half a year in hospital.

"I had to go through the process of having emergency, life-saving brain surgery under an induced coma," the media professional told 9NEWS.

Now paralysed down his left side, Mr Djajamihardja relies on wife and full-time carer Kate Stephens to complete simple, everyday tasks.

"I call her my wife, primary carer, best friend and all-round chief of stuff," he said.

Mr Djajamihardja was just 42 years old when he suffered the stroke, and said he was smoking a pack of cigarettes a day at the time.

He believes that was a major contributor to him winding up in such a serious condition.

Quit Victoria said it's a common belief that only older people, and those who've smoked for many years, are seriously affected by smoking.

But new analysis of key data shows of the more than 4400 Victorians killed by smoking-related diseases in 2011; 24 were aged in their 30's, 155 in their 40's and 393 people were in their 50's.

"What we're seeing is people are passing away because of smoking-related diseases after only a decade of smoking," Quit Victoria Director Dr Sarah White said,

"For all of those deaths, there are people living with the lifelong impact of smoking-related disease."

Close to 750,000 Victorians still smoke and experts said public education is key, encouraging people to quit, or not take up the habit in the first place.

"Smoking has got no merit at all,” Mr Djajamihardja said.

"The very concept is absurd."

Watch the full news bulletin on 9Now