A recent World Health Organization (WHO) analysis, compiled from data gleaned through global surveys, reports on current and future trends in tobacco use. It assesses the prevalence of usage — including smoking — from the year 2000 and extrapolates those data forward to the year 2030.
Effective Strategies for Reducing Tobacco Consumption
The report contains some good news: Fewer people are using tobacco globally.
Currently, more individuals report using fewer cigarettes, cigars, e-cigarettes, and chaw in 2024 than they did in 2000, a trend the WHO expects to continue.
Improvements in tamping down the addictive habit result partly from worldwide efforts to discourage consumption through:
- Taxing cigarettes and their related products
- Banning advertisements designed to make consumption attractive or desirable
- Creating more public smoke-free zones
WHO Tobacco Reduction Goal Varied by Region
However, not every place across the globe is improving at the same rate. These regional differences may jeopardize the WHO goal of cutting tobacco usage by 30 percent in the 2010–2025 timeframe.
In areas where the campaign is proving effective, however, success rates seem to tie directly to efforts to control the substance.
Exploring Gender and Age in Tobacco Use
The WHO report also addresses tobacco usage by gender and age. More men use tobacco than women. But men are also kicking the habit faster than women. Along age demographics, the 15- to 24-year-old population subset is using the addictive products less than their elders.
WHO Report on the Trends in Prevalence of Tobacco Use
Despite variances in the statistical analysis of tobacco use across different demographics, the data show a general trend of improvement in the efforts of those trying to curb its use in the name of better overall health. Clearly, there is still progress to be made. But as smoking continues to ebb as a socially acceptable, commonplace recreational activity, the habit and its financial and medical implications should continue to fade.
The complete WHO report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use is available at the World Health Organization.
