Tobacco: Facts and Risks

Tobacco

• Tobacco kills up to half of its users, resulting in more than 8 million deaths each year, including 1.3 million non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke.
• Around 80% of the world's 1.3 billion smokers live in low- and middle-income countries.
• In 2020, 22.3% of the world's population used tobacco, with 36.7% of men and 7.8% of women being smokers.

Harmful Effects

• There is no safe level of exposure to tobacco, and all forms of tobacco use are harmful.
• Cigarette smoking is the most common form of tobacco use worldwide.
• Tobacco use contributes to poverty by diverting household spending from basic needs to tobacco.

Economic Costs

• The economic costs of tobacco use include significant healthcare costs and lost human capital due to tobacco-attributable morbidity and mortality.
• Tobacco use drains around US$1.4 trillion from the global economy each year.
• High rates of tobacco use can undo efforts towards universal health coverage and exacerbate poverty in poor households.

Tobacco Costs

• Healthcare costs include medical and healthcare costs, higher sickness and absence rates, and loss of skilled workers due to premature death.
• Other economic costs include time off for "smoke breaks," lost production and lower productivity, fires caused by careless smokers, and damage to building fabric.

Economic Impact of Smoking

• Smoking contributes to a range of health problems, including cancer, heart disease, and respiratory disorders, leading to increased healthcare expenditures.
• Smokers experience absenteeism, reduced productivity, and premature death, affecting their productivity and causing economic losses.
• Exposure to secondhand smoke can also affect non-smokers' productivity in the workplace.

Economic Impact of Smoking (continued)

• Smoking-related illnesses can lead to disability, early retirement, and decreased earning potential, resulting in lost wages and income for individuals and their families.
• Governments generate revenue through taxes on tobacco products, contributing to public funds and budgets.
• Public health campaigns and smoking cessation programs aim to reduce smoking prevalence and mitigate healthcare costs.
• Fire damage from cigarettes and smoking-related activities results in property damage, loss of assets, and increased insurance premiums.

Environmental Costs

• The production, distribution, and disposal of tobacco products contribute to environmental degradation, requiring resources to address environmental costs.

Global Response

• The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) is an international agreement adopted in 2003 to address the global health epidemic caused by tobacco.
• The WHO FCTC provides a framework for countries to implement various tobacco control measures.
• The MPOWER initiative was introduced in 2007 to scale up implementation of the demand reduction provisions of the WHO FCTC.