Tobacco use accounts for 18 percent of all deaths from noncommunicable diseases in the region. WHO Europe presents updated data on smoking in the region Health
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 179 million adults and 4 million adolescents aged 13–15 years currently use tobacco in the WHO European Region. Tobacco use accounts for 18 percent of all deaths from noncommunicable diseases in the region.
Every year, smoking-related diseases cause more than 1.2 million deaths in the WHO European Region (which includes countries in Europe, Central Asia and Israel).
“It is widely accepted that tobacco use is a major cause of death and disability due to noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases. Yet, in many countries in the WHO European Region, tobacco policies are not effective enough to protect people from tobacco use,” said Galen Galea, WHO Regional Office for Europe.
At the same time, he said, the high prevalence of tobacco use is fuelled by the powerful influence of the tobacco industry, aggressive marketing tactics and gaps in tobacco control policies that undermine efforts to protect public health. “If we don’t take new action, by 2030 our region will have the highest tobacco use in the world,” Galea added.
Mixed Progress
According to the latest data, countries in the European Region have achieved good results in two key areas: monitoring tobacco use and warning the public about the dangers of smoking. 81 per cent of countries have robust systems for monitoring tobacco use and evaluating the effectiveness of tobacco control policies, and 77 per cent have effective measures to warn people about the health risks.
Despite the fact that 53 per cent of countries in the region impose high taxes on tobacco products, the affordability of cigarettes has decreased in only six countries since 2020. In the interests of public health, policymakers should consider raising taxes so that the price of tobacco products outpaces income growth, WHO stressed.
Only 11 countries provide sufficient support to their population to quit tobacco, and only 18 countries have adopted comprehensive legislation banning smoking in public places. At the same time, 13 countries have completely banned advertising and promotion of tobacco products.
Forecast for the future
As part of the WHO Global Action Plan, countries in the European Region have committed to reducing tobacco consumption by 30 percent by 2025. However, according to the latest data, only 11 countries, including Turkmenistan, are on track to achieve this goal.
Tobacco consumption is expected to decline in most countries, but by less than the planned 30 percent.
WHO is concerned that three countries are unlikely to achieve any significant changes, while in one country, Moldova, tobacco consumption is expected to increase by 2025.