Tobacco fight nears milestone 

October 8, 2025

A new report by the World Health Organization (WHO) has revealed that only three of its regions are on course to meet the Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD GAP) target of a 30 per cent reduction in tobacco use between 2010 and 2025. The African Region, the Region of the Americas and the South-East Asia Region are the only ones projected to reach the goal, though progress remains uneven across countries.

According to the report, the African Region is likely to meet the target by a narrow margin, with tobacco use projected to fall to 9.3 per cent in 2025 against a goal of 9.4 per cent. Despite this apparent success, population growth means the total number of tobacco users continues to rise. The Region of the Americas, meanwhile, is on track for a 36 per cent reduction in use, with prevalence expected to decline to 14 per cent in 2024 from 21.3 per cent in 2010. However, WHO noted that several countries in the region still lack complete and reliable data.

The South-East Asia Region, once the world’s tobacco hotspot, has shown the steepest decline. Male tobacco use in the region has dropped dramatically from 70 per cent in 2000 to 37 per cent in 2024, accounting for more than half of the global reduction in tobacco use.

In contrast, three WHO regions remain off track. The Eastern Mediterranean and European regions are projected to achieve only a 19 per cent reduction each, while the Western Pacific Region is reducing tobacco use at the slowest pace—just 12 per cent. Europe has lowered prevalence from 34.9 per cent in 2000 to 24.1 per cent in 2024, but the region still faces a 3.2 percentage point gap to reach the 2025 target of 20.6 per cent.

The Western Pacific Region recorded a 22.9 per cent prevalence in 2024, down from 25.8 per cent in 2010. Although tobacco use among women remains low at 2.5 per cent, men in the region have the world’s highest prevalence at 43.3 per cent. WHO noted that Indonesia’s reassignment from the South-East Asia Region to the Western Pacific Region in 2025 will affect regional comparisons.

Globally, the share of people aged 15 and above using tobacco has declined from 26.2 per cent in 2010 to 19.5 per cent in 2024. The global prevalence is expected to reach 19.2 per cent by 2025, representing a 27 per cent reduction—just three percentage points short of the NCD GAP target.

For the first time, WHO estimated global e-cigarette use, reporting that more than 100 million people worldwide are now vaping. The organization warned that the rapid spread of new nicotine products is undermining tobacco control gains.

WHO urged governments to strengthen tobacco control policies by enforcing the MPOWER package and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. It called for higher tobacco taxes, comprehensive advertising bans, stricter regulation of e-cigarettes, and expanded cessation services to help millions quit and prevent future generations from nicotine addiction.