According to the latest estimates from the WHO Tobacco Trends Report, there are 1.25 billion adult tobacco users worldwide.
Trends in 2022 show that global tobacco use will continue to decline. About one in five adults worldwide smokes, up from one in three in 2000.
Currently, the proportion of tobacco users is the highest, with 26.5% in Southeast Asia, followed by Europe at 25.3%. The report shows that the WHO European Region will have the highest epidemic rates in the world by 2030, at just over 23%. Tobacco use among women in the WHO European Region is more than double the global average and the rate of decline lags well behind other regions.
The report shows that 150 countries are successfully reducing tobacco use. Brazil and the Netherlands have experienced success following the introduction of MPOWER tobacco control measures, with Brazil achieving a relative reduction of 35% since 2010 and the Netherlands on the verge of reaching the 30% target.
In some countries, tobacco use prevalence has changed little since 2010, while in six countries tobacco use continues to increase: Congo, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Oman and the Republic of Moldova.
The World Health Organization has called on countries to speed up tobacco control efforts because "much more needs to be done".
