WHO report: 6.1 billion people protected by anti-tobacco measures

The report tracks the implementation of six proven anti-tobacco measures that WHO recommends to reduce tobacco use, which kills around seven million people every year.

These include steps to monitor tobacco use and prevent tobacco addiction; protect people from tobacco smoke through smoke-free legislation; provide accessible help for those wishing to quit smoking; label tobacco products; enforce bans on advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products; and increase taxes on tobacco products.

Progress in implementing WHO recommendations

Since 2007, 155 countries have implemented at least one of the WHO-recommended measures to reduce tobacco use. Today, more than 6.1 billion people, or three-quarters of the world’s population, are protected by at least one measure, up from just one billion in 2007. Four countries – Brazil, Mauritius, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and Turkey – have implemented the full range of measures. Seven countries – Ethiopia, Ireland, Jordan, Mexico, New Zealand, Slovenia and Spain – need to implement just one measure each to achieve the highest level of tobacco protection.

But there are laggards. Forty countries have not implemented any of the recommended measures at best practice levels, and more than 30 countries allow cigarettes to be sold without mandatory health warnings.

“It’s been 20 years since the adoption of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control and we can celebrate many successes, but the tobacco industry is not standing still and neither should we,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “By combining science, policy and political will, we can create a world where tobacco no longer takes lives, damages economies and robs people of futures. Together, we can end the tobacco epidemic.”

There is still much to be done

The WHO 2025 Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic was produced with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies and presented at the Bloomberg Philanthropies 2025 Global Tobacco Control Awards, which honor governments and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that have made progress in reducing tobacco use.

“Bloomberg Philanthropies began supporting global tobacco control initiatives in 2007, and since then countries have made dramatic changes in tobacco prevention, though much remains to be done,” said Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries. “Bloomberg Philanthropies is committed to continuing to support WHO’s critical work and, together, saving millions more lives.”

The most common measures

According to the WHO 2025 Report on the global tobacco epidemic, the greatest progress has been made in the area of ​​pictorial health warnings – a key measure of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control that ensures that the public is alert to the dangers of tobacco use.

Thus, graphic warnings are mandatory in 110 countries (versus nine countries in 2007), which account for 62 percent of the world's population. In 25 countries, as the authors of the report found, there is a requirement to sell tobacco products in unmarked packaging.

However, WHO notes that compliance with these requirements is not always properly monitored, and regulation of smokeless tobacco packaging remains weak. To mark the release of the report, a new information portal has been created to track the progress made by each country between 2007 and 2025.

In 110 countries, such an effective tool as anti-tobacco campaigns have not been used in the last three years. At the same time, countries that conduct such campaigns according to best practice standards today account for 36 percent of the world's population, compared to 19 percent in 2022. WHO strongly recommends that countries allocate resources to organizing campaigns with proven informational effectiveness.

Measures such as tobacco taxation, cessation assistance and bans on tobacco advertising are being increasingly implemented, although many challenges remain in these areas.

In terms of taxation, 134 countries have so far failed to reduce the affordability of cigarettes. Since 2022, only three countries have increased taxes to best practice levels.

Only 33 percent of the world's population has access to tobacco cessation assistance. Advertising bans that meet best practice criteria are in place in 68 countries, representing 25 percent of the world's population.

Exposure to Second-Hand Smoke

Exposure to second-hand smoke kills an estimated 1.3 million people each year. Comprehensive smoke-free regulations are currently in place in 79 countries, covering a third of the world’s population. Since 2022, such legislation has been adopted in six more countries (the Cook Islands, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Uzbekistan) – despite resistance from the tobacco industry, particularly in the hospitality sector.

Electronic cigarettes

The issue of smoking e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems is increasingly being raised around the world. The number of countries with bans or restrictions on such products has increased from 122 in 2022 to 133 in 2024, which clearly indicates growing attention to this issue. At the same time, these products are still not regulated in more than 60 countries.

Call to Action

WHO is calling for urgent action in areas where there is a lag. “Governments must act decisively to address the remaining gaps, strengthen surveillance and implement effective measures that save lives,” said Dr Rüdiger Krech, Director of the WHO Department of Health Promotion. According to him, WHO is calling on all countries to accelerate the implementation of the package of measures and to reach everyone on the planet.