Summary Globally, secondhand smoke was the 13th-leading Level 3 risk factor for deaths in 2019, accounting for 1·30 million (95% UI 1·01–1·61) deaths. It contributed to 37·0 million (28·6–45·1) DALYs, with 11·2% of the burden seen among children under the age of 5 years.

Definition This risk factor refers to current exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke at home, at work, or in other public places. Only non-daily smokers are considered to be exposed to secondhand smoke.

Total sources
Exposure 721
Relative risk 232
Table 1: Total sources used in GBD 2019 estimation
What is new in GBD 2019?
  • •Daily smoking prevalence, cigarettes per smoker, and SDI numbers, which are the key inputs in the secondhand smoke model, were updated with GBD 2019 estimates in order to keep results internally consistent.
Deaths
YLLs
YLDs
DALYs
Number
(millions)
Rate (per
100 000)
Number
(millions)
Rate (per
100 000)
Number
(millions)
Rate (per
100 000)
Number
(millions)
Rate (per
100 000)
2019
Both Sexes
1·30 (1·01
to 1·61)
16·5 (12·8
to 20·4)
31·5 (24·2
to 38·8)
396·4 (304·5
to 488·7)
5·51 (3·25
to 8·11)
66·9 (39·6
to 98·2)
37·0 (28·6
to 45·1)
463·3 (356·4
to 565·4)
Females
0·694 (0·540
to 0·859)
16·1 (12·5
to 19·9)
16·2 (12·7
to 20·1)
392·8 (303·0
to 491·7)
3·44 (2·08
to 4·97)
80·0 (48·5
to 115·9)
19·7 (15·3
to 24·1)
472·8 (364·7
to 580·5)
Males
0·611 (0·466
to 0·755)
17·2 (13·0
to 21·3)
15·3 (11·6
to 19·0)
402·3 (301·9
to 499·6)
2·08 (1·17
to 3·12)
53·1 (30·3
to 79·2)
17·3 (13·4
to 21·3)
455·4 (349·3
to 560·9)
Percentage change 2010-19
Both Sexes
12·8% (5·9
to 20·1)
–12·1% (–17·5
to –6·6)
0·7% (–6·9
to 8·9)
–17·3% (–23·3
to –11·1)
30·2% (24·8
to 34·9)
4·4% (–0·1
to 8·0)
4·2% (–3·5
to 11·8)
–14·7% (–20·6
to –8·7)
Females
13·4% (4·5
to 23·4)
–11·7% (–18·7
to –4·1)
1·7% (–7·3
to 11·2)
–16·8% (–23·7
to –9·2)
30·1% (24·7
to 34·9)
4·6% (0·1
to 8·4)
5·8% (–2·8
to 14·2)
–13·8% (–20·4
to –7·1)
Males
12·1% (3·1
to 21·9)
–12·8% (–19·4
to –5·3)
–0·4% (–8·8
to 8·6)
–17·8% (–24·3
to –10·6)
30·4% (23·3
to 36·4)
3·8% (–1·8
to 8·6)
2·5% (–5·9
to 11·3)
–15·7% (–22·2
to –9·0)
Numbers in parentheses are 95% uncertainty intervals.
Table 2: Attributable global deaths, YLLs, YLDs, and DALYs in counts and age-standardised rates for both sexes combined, females, and males, 2019, with percentage change between 2010 and 2019
Deaths YLLs YLDs DALYs
1990 17th 14th 21st 14th
2010 16th 17th 18th 17th
2019 13th 17th 17th 16th
Table 3: Rank among attributable Level 3 risks plus most detailed Level 2 risks of global deaths, YLLs, YLDs, and DALYs in 1990, 2010, and 2019 for both sexes combined
Figure 1: Composition of attributable global DALYs by constituent Level 2 causes for both sexes combined, 2019
Figure 2: Composition of attributable global DALYs by YLLs and YLDs, age group, and sex, 2019
No Legend
Figure 3: Age-standardised all-cause SEV by location, both sexes combined, 2019
No Legend
Figure 4: Percentage change in all-cause age-standardised SEV by SDI, both sexes combined, 1990–2019
Figure 5: Percentage of population exposed to risk factor, both sexes combined, 2019
Figure 6: All-cause mortality relative risk, both sexes combined, 2019