Seven out of 10 people are protected by at least one tobacco control measure

A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) finds that 5.6 billion people – 71% of the world’s population – are currently protected by at least one best practice policy, that contribute to saving lives from the deadly effects of tobacco, that is, five times more than in 2007.
In the past 15 years, since the MPOWER tobacco control measures advocated by the WHO were introduced worldwide, smoking rates have decreased. Without this decline, it is estimated that there would be 300 million more smokers worldwide today.
This WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, focuses on protecting people from second-hand tobacco smoke, noting that nearly 40% of countries now have fully enclosed public places without smoke.
The report quantifies the progress made by countries in tobacco control and shows that two more countries, Mauritius and the Netherlands, have reached the level of best practice in all MPOWER measures, a feat that only Brazil and Türkiye had achieved so far.
“The data shows that slowly but surely more people are being protected from the harms of tobacco by evidence-based best practice policies driven by the WHO,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of The OMS. “I congratulate Mauritius for being the first country in Africa, and the Netherlands for being the first in the European Union, to introduce the full WHO tobacco control policy blueprint to the highest degree. WHO stands ready to support all countries to follow the example of these two countries and protect their populations against this deadly scourge.”
Maarten van Ooijen, State Secretary for Health, Wellness and Sport of the Netherlands, said: “Civil society organisations, health experts and medical professionals are important driving forces behind all tobacco control achievements. in the Netherlands. They are mainly the ones who deserve to receive the praise that comes to our country from the World Health Organization. Although we have made progress in reducing smoking prevalence and improving our tobacco control policies, we still have a long way to go. Together we will continue to fight for a smoke-free generation by 2040.”
Making public spaces smoke-free is just one of the policies in an effective package of tobacco control measures ( MPOWER ) to help countries implement the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and curb the tobacco epidemic.
Smoke-free environments help people breathe clean air, protect people from the deadly effects of second-hand smoke, motivate people to quit smoking, denormalize smoking, and help prevent young people from starting smoking. to smoke or use electronic cigarettes.
“While smoking rates have been declining, tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable deaths worldwide, largely due to the tobacco industry’s relentless marketing campaigns,” said Michael R. Bloomberg, Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries and founder of Bloomberg Philanthropies. “As this report makes clear, thanks to our work we are making improvements, but there is still a lot to do. By helping more countries put in place smart policies, backed by public opinion and science, we can improve public health and save millions more lives.”
In eight countries (Ethiopia, Iran, Ireland, Jordan, Spain, Madagascar, Mexico and New Zealand) only one MPOWER policy is missing to be among the leading countries in tobacco control.
However, much remains to be done, as 44 countries are still not protected by any of the WHO MPOWER measures and 53 countries have yet to completely ban smoking in health care facilities. Meanwhile, only about half of the countries have private smoke-free workplaces and restaurants.
“WHO urges all countries to implement all MPOWER measures at the best practice level to fight the tobacco epidemic, which kills 8.7 million people worldwide, and to roll back tobacco industries and nicotine, which are lobbying against these public health measures,” said Dr Ruediger Krech, Director of WHO’s Department of Health Promotion.
About 1.3 million people die each year from second-hand smoke. All of these deaths are entirely preventable. People exposed to second-hand tobacco smoke are at risk of dying from heart disease, stroke, respiratory disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancers.
This report demonstrates that all countries, regardless of income level, can reduce demand for tobacco, with its deadly effects, achieve major public health victories, and save economies billions of dollars in health care costs. and productivity.