Smoking and tobacco

While smoking prevalence has decreased over the past 30 years, the total number of smokers worldwide has continued to increase due to population growth, contributing significantly to disease burden.

Photo by Reuters/Pablo La Rosa.

1.14 billion people around the world were smokers in 2019.

155 million global smokers in 2019 were between the ages of 15 and 24 years old.

7.7 million deaths were attributable to smoked tobacco use globally in 2019.

200 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in 2019 were attributed to smoked tobacco use globally.

Interactive data visuals

Interactive Data Visual

GBD Tobacco Forecasts

Explore patterns in future smoking scenarios from 2022 to 2050.

Interactive Data Visual

The Importance of Tobacco Control in Mexico

Inspect current and past trends in tobacco use across Mexico.

Interactive Data Visual

Tobacco Visualization

View modeled trends in smoking prevalence worldwide and by country for the years 1980 to 2015.

Datasets in our catalog

Visit the Global Health Data Exchange (GHDx) to download our estimates and data sources for smoking and tobacco.

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Series

United States Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)

Series

Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS)

Series

Canada Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey (CTUMS)

Series

Japan Smoking Rate Survey

Scientific Publication

Secondhand smoke increases the risk of ischemic heart disease by at least 8% and the risk of stroke by at least 5%.

Two funnel plots show the standard error of log(RR) for ischemic heart disease and stroke

Publications

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Scientific Publication

Forecasting the effects of smoking prevalence scenarios on years of life lost and life expectancy from 2022 to 2050

Dana Bryazka, Marissa Reitsma, Emmanuela Gakidou, Stein Emil Vollset, Austin Ahlstrom, Jason Anderson, Aleksandr Aravkin, Natalia Bhattacharjee, Xiaochen Dai, Lalit Dandona, Rakhi Dandona, Luisa Sorio Flor, Gabriela Gil, Simon Hay, Stephen Lim, Paulina Lindstedt, Tomislav Mestrovic, Ali Mokdad, Vincent Mougin, Erin Mullany, Christopher J.L. Murray, Marie Ng, Tom Pham, Cat Raggi, Austin Schumacher, Amanda Smith, Asrat Wolde, Chun-Wei Yuan

October 2, 2024

Scientific Publication

Health effects associated with chewing tobacco: a Burden of Proof study

Scientific Publication

Health effects associated with exposure to secondhand smoke: a Burden of Proof study

Scientific Publication

The global, regional, and national burden of adult lip, oral, and pharyngeal cancer in 204 countries and territories

Infographics

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Infographic

Prevalence of smoking has fallen, but the number of people who smoke has risen since 1990

Since 1990, the prevalence of smoking has decreased steadily around the globe. However, as populations have grown, the total number of smokers around the world has increased.

Infographic

The proportion of young people who smoke is falling across the globe, but remains high in Europe, Southeast Asia and elsewhere

Global prevalence of young smokers has decreased, but in some regions the absolute number is increasing.

Infographic

Preventing new smokers is key to controlling the tobacco epidemic

14-25 years is a critical window for intervention.

Reports

Report

Supplement to the European Health Report 2021: Projections for a selection of indicators for health-related Sustainable Development Goals

The European Health Report is produced every three years by the WHO Regional Office for Europe, providing insight into the Regional progress towards health-related SDGs.

Report

Assessment of Tobacco Use and Control: Mexico

As part of the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) and the Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública of Mexico (INSP) have conducted a comprehensive assessment of tobacco control policies in Mexico’s 32 states, examining their implications for tobacco use and its associated health outcomes.

Health topic

Smoking and tobacco

On this page:

Interactive data visuals

GBD Tobacco Forecasts

The Importance of Tobacco Control in Mexico

Tobacco Visualization

Datasets in our catalog

United States Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)

Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS)

Canada Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey (CTUMS)

Japan Smoking Rate Survey

Secondhand smoke increases the risk of ischemic heart disease by at least 8% and the risk of stroke by at least 5%.

Publications

Forecasting the effects of smoking prevalence scenarios on years of life lost and life expectancy from 2022 to 2050

Health effects associated with chewing tobacco: a Burden of Proof study

Health effects associated with exposure to secondhand smoke: a Burden of Proof study

The global, regional, and national burden of adult lip, oral, and pharyngeal cancer in 204 countries and territories

Infographics

Prevalence of smoking has fallen, but the number of people who smoke has risen since 1990

The proportion of young people who smoke is falling across the globe, but remains high in Europe, Southeast Asia and elsewhere

Preventing new smokers is key to controlling the tobacco epidemic

Reports

Supplement to the European Health Report 2021: Projections for a selection of indicators for health-related Sustainable Development Goals

Assessment of Tobacco Use and Control: Mexico

Related

Air pollution

Alcohol use

Diet

Burden of Proof

Smoking and tobacco

On this page:

Interactive data visuals

Datasets in our catalog

United States Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)

Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS)

Canada Tobacco Use Monitoring Survey (CTUMS)

Japan Smoking Rate Survey

Publications

Infographics

Reports

Related

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