According to the World Health Organization (WHO), global tobacco consumption has decreased, but still, seven million people die each year due to smoking-related illnesses, including 1.2 million non-smokers. In 2020, there were approximately 1.3 billion tobacco users aged 15 and above, out of a world population of 7.8 billion people, according to the WHO’s trend report. This number is lower than the 1.32 billion tobacco users in 2015, despite the world population being smaller at 7.3 billion. The WHO predicts that the number of tobacco users will continue to decrease significantly by 2025, with only 1.27 billion people consuming tobacco, which is less than a quarter (22.3%) of the world population aged 15 and above.
In Germany, the percentage of tobacco consumers is already lower at 19.6%. The WHO defines tobacco use as smoking cigarettes, cigars, and pipes, as well as consuming snuff, chew, or smokeless tobacco. E-cigarettes that do not contain tobacco are not included in the report. The WHO highlights that tobacco consumption is particularly problematic in the European region, which includes 53 countries, including Israel and Turkmenistan. Approximately 18% of women in the European region consume tobacco, compared to only 7.8% of women worldwide. However, the percentage of women consuming tobacco is also decreasing in most European countries.
The WHO reports that smoking kills about half of its consumers, with approximately seven million people dying each year due to smoking-related illnesses, including 1.2 million non-smokers who are exposed to second-hand smoke. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus comments, “We still have a long way to go. The tobacco industry will use every trick in the book to defend their enormous profits from selling their deadly products.” Despite the decrease in tobacco consumption, the WHO emphasizes the need for continued efforts to reduce tobacco use and its harmful effects on public health.
