Tobacco use declines despite tobacco industry efforts to jeopardize progress – PAHO/WHO

Geneva, January 16, 2024 — There are 1.25 billion adult tobacco users worldwide, according to the latest estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO). tobacco trends report it comes out today.

Trends in 2022 show a continued decline in global tobacco use rates. About 1 in 5 adults worldwide use tobacco, up from 1 in 3 in 2000.

The report shows that 150 countries are successfully reducing tobacco consumption. Brazil and the Netherlands are seeing success after implementing MPOWER tobacco control measures: Brazil achieved a 35% relative reduction since 2010 and the Netherlands is close to reaching the 30% target.

“Good progress has been made in tobacco control in recent years, but there is no time for complacency. I am amazed at the lengths the tobacco industry will go to make profits at the expense of countless lives. We see that the moment a government believes it has won the fight against tobacco, the tobacco industry seizes the opportunity to manipulate health policies and sell its deadly products,» says Dr. Ruediger Krech, Director of the Department of Promotion of WHO Health.

WHO urges countries to continue implementing tobacco control policies and continue fighting tobacco industry interference.

Currently, the WHO South-East Asia Region has the highest percentage of the population using tobacco, at 26.5%, and the European Region is not far behind at 25.3%. The report shows that by 2030 the WHO European Region is projected to have the highest rates globally, with a prevalence of just over 23%. Tobacco use rates among women in the WHO European region are more than double the global average and are declining much more slowly than in all other regions.

While numbers have steadily declined over the years, the world will achieve a 25% relative reduction in tobacco consumption by 2025, falling short of reaching the voluntary global goal reduction of 30% compared to the 2010 baseline. Only 56 countries worldwide will achieve this goal, four countries less than the latest report in 2021.

The prevalence of tobacco use has changed little since 2010 in some countries, while six countries continue to see an increase in tobacco use: Congo, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Oman and the Republic of Moldova.

WHO urges countries to accelerate efforts to control tobacco as there is still much work to do. «He Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2023”published by STOP and the Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control, show that efforts to protect health policies from further interference by the tobacco industry have deteriorated around the world.

National surveys consistently show that children aged 13 to 15 use tobacco and nicotine products in most countries. To protect future generations and ensure that tobacco use continues to decline, WHO will dedicate this year’s World No Tobacco Day to Protect children from tobacco industry interference.

Next month countries are ready to meet in Panama for the tenth session of the Conference of the Parties to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) where the tobacco industry will try to influence global health policies through offer financial and in-kind incentives, interfering with the right of countries to protect the health of their populations. Strengthening the WHO FCTC is a global health priority outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals. WHO stands ready to support countries in defending evidence-based tobacco control measures against industry interference.