The number of smokers has declined worldwide, but the tobacco epidemic is not over, and today one in five adults remains addicted, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO).
The document notes that the number of users has decreased from 1.38 billion in 2000 to 1.2 billion in 2024, the WHO reported in a press release.
Since 2010, the number has dropped by 120 million, representing a relative decrease of 27 percent; however, one in five adults is addicted to tobacco, a product that causes millions of preventable deaths each year, the report emphasizes.
For the first time, the WHO has calculated global e-cigarette use, and the figures are alarming: more than 100 million people currently use them worldwide.
The report highlights that more women than men are quitting tobacco, and although a steady decline in tobacco use has been observed between 2000 and 2024 among both men and women of all ages, it is the latter who have led the change.
The prevalence of tobacco use among women decreased from 11 percent in 2010 to 6.6 percent in 2024, with an absolute decrease from 277 million in 2010 to 206 million in 2024.
Looking at the regional outlook, the report reveals that in Southeast Asia, until recently considered the global epicenter of smoking, prevalence among men has been reduced by almost half, from 70 percent in 2000 to 37 percent in 2024. This region alone accounts for more than half of the global decline.
Africa has the lowest prevalence of all regions (9.5 percent in 2024) and is on track to meet the 30 percent target.
However, due to population growth, the absolute number of users continues to increase, warns the WHO.
The Americas have achieved a relative reduction of 36 percent and a decline in prevalence to 14 percent by 2024, although sufficient data is still lacking for some countries, according to the global organization.
Europe is currently the region with the highest prevalence, with 24.1 percent of adult users in 2024, and European women have the highest prevalence in the world (17.4 percent).
In the Eastern Mediterranean, the prevalence is 18 percent, with consumption continuing to rise in some countries. The Western Pacific is the region that has progressed most slowly: from 25.8 percent of adult users in 2010, it has risen to 22.9 percent in 2024.
Although the prevalence in women is low (2.5 percent), men here have the highest prevalence of all regions (43.3 percent).
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom noted that thanks to tobacco control efforts by countries around the world, millions of people are quitting the habit or no longer starting to use.
He warned that in the face of this significant progress, the tobacco industry is counterattacking with new nicotine products, aggressively targeting young people, and that governments must act more quickly and firmly to implement tobacco control policies that have proven effective.
From Prensa Latina
