TOBACCO KILLS 7 MILLION PEOPLE ANNUALLY: WHO

Sun 23 November 2025:

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that tobacco causes the death of 7 million people every year.

Ghebreyesus shared a post on the subject on the social media platform X, based in the United States.

Noting that tobacco kills 7 million people annually, Ghebreyesus said, “It’s time to quit smoking and save lives.”

The analysis, published in this year June, from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, is based on data from the Global Burden of Disease study and was presented at the World Conference on Tobacco Control.

According to this analysis, exposure to tobacco killed more than 7 million people worldwide in 2023, according to estimates.

Some countries have experienced dramatic rises, the researchers said, with the highest jump in Egypt, where deaths in 2023 were 124.3% higher than in 1990.

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Brooks Morgan, a researcher at the IHME, said: “Tobacco exposure is one of the most significant risk factors identified in the Global Burden of Disease study 2023, contributing to approximately one in eight deaths worldwide.

“While some countries are seeing encouraging declines in tobacco-related deaths, others are heading in the opposite direction. These trends highlight the urgent need for accelerated implementation and stronger enforcement of strategies proven to reduce tobacco use.”

They calculated tobacco had caused more than 41,000 deaths in the five low- and middle-income countries, and cost nearly $4.3bn in medical expenses, lost productivity and informal caregiving.

WHO urged countries to go further in efforts to tackle tobacco and newer nicotine products such as vapes, including by raising taxes and requiring graphic warnings on packaging.

In another study presented at the conference, researchers from Fudan University in China showed that an AI mobile phone tool designed to help smokers quit using tailored messages and games could double their chances of success.

In a trial involving 272 smokers, 17.6% of those using the tool quit, against 7.4% of those in a control group.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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