The reduction of tobacco smoking remains a challenge for public health. The main purpose of this study was to evaluate changes in the prevalence and patterns of tobacco use in the adult population of Poles in the years from 2003 to 2014. Furthermore, changes in the smoking addiction, the declared reasons for smoking, as well as readiness and motivation to stop smoking were assessed. Based on data from the Polish studies WOBASZ and WOBASZ II, the analysis included 14 576 participants from the first study (6906 men and 7670 women) and 5696 participants from the second study (2578 men and 3118 women), aged between 20 and 74 years. According to the WOBASZ II study, 30% of men and 21% of women in Poland smoked, the rates being 9% and 4% lower for men and women, respectively, in comparison with the WOBASZ study (P <0.001). The average number of cigarettes smoked daily per smoker significantly decreased during the follow‑up period among men (from 17.9 to 15.8 cigarettes per day) and women (from 13.7 to 12.1 cigarettes per day). The percentage of men who never smoked increased from 29.8% to 36.1% (P <0.0001), while the proportion of women who never smoked did not change. However, the percentage of those expressing unwillingness to quit smoking nearly doubled in WOBASZ II in comparison with WOBASZ. Although the smoking rates in Poland have declined over the past decade, smoking remains prevalent among men and women. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize tobacco control in Poland, including fiscal policy, counseling and tobacco addiction treatment, as well as promotional and educational activities, with a special emphasis on the female population.