Introduction: Tobacco smoking is a well-known risk factor for stroke. The aim of this study was to assess whether smokers suffering ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke differ from non-smokers in age, gender, socio-economic status, risk factors, pre-stroke level of function, and stroke severity. Materials and methods: This work is based on 1,208 consecutive patients admitted to an acute stroke unit in a well-defined region of Copenhagen. Results: Haemorrhagic stroke was not correlated to smoking habits. In the patients with cerebral infarctions, we found no difference between smokers and non-smokers in stroke severity on admission or outcome at three months. The smokers were younger than the non-smokers. The mean age difference between smokers and non-smokers with ischamic cerebrovascular disease was nine years (95% CI 6.9-10.4), with the highest frequencies of smokers in male patients aged below 67 years and female patients aged below 74 years. The proportion of smokers in our stroke patients was larger than that in the general population. Lower socio-economic status was also related to a younger age at the onset of stroke. Discussion: This study demonstrates that stroke patients who smoke are on average nine years younger than non-smoking patients and thus emphasises the health hazards of smoking.