The National Survey of Lifestyle, Attitudes and Nutrition 2007 also found smoking is more common among younger adults.
It is the third time this survey, known as the Slán report, has been carried out in Ireland since 1998.
It showed smoking rates had decreased from 33% to 27% in 2002, but then crept back up to 29% by 2007.
Men are more likely to smoke than women but are also more successful at quitting.
Women are also more likely to fear negative consequences of quitting such as gaining weight.
9% of smokers said they were actively trying to give up, 17% were planning to quit, 33% were thinking about it and 41% were not thinking about it at all.
The survey also shows those who smoked were between two and three times more likely to report psychological distress or be assessed as having an anxiety disorder.
