According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there were 1.25 billion adult tobacco users worldwide in 2023. About one in five adults worldwide uses tobacco, up from one in three in 2000. This was reported by UN News with reference to a WHO report.
According to the WHO report, 150 countries have made progress in reducing tobacco use. Brazil and the Netherlands are prominent examples. In Brazil, tobacco use has fallen by 35% over the past 13 years, and the Netherlands is approaching its goal of reducing tobacco use to 30%.
However, six countries are still experiencing an increase in tobacco use: Congo, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Oman and the Republic of Moldova.
The highest rates of tobacco product use are observed in the Southeast Asia region, where 26.5% of the population smokes. In second place is the European region, where 25.3% of the population consume tobacco in one form or another.