Europe has biggest share of women, adolescent smokers, WHO report shows

While tobacco use is declining globally, Europe is home to one of the highest percentages of tobacco use, particularly among women and youth, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

On Tuesday (16 January), the WHO report on trends in the prevalence of tobacco use from 2000 to 2030 showed a about one in five adults worldwide consume tobacco compared to one in three in 2000.

“Good progress has been made in tobacco control in recent years, but there is no time for complacency,” said Ruediger Krech, director of the WHO Department of Health Promotion, in a press release on Tuesday. 

The current numbers show that the world is moving closer to the voluntary target of a 30% relative reduction in current tobacco use by 2025 from the 2010 baseline, as set out in the WHO Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases 2013–2020.

But the progress is not as quick as needed – it is estimated that the world will reach a 25% relative reduction in tobacco use by 2025, missing the voluntary global goal. 

Fifty-six countries globally will reach this goal, down four countries since the last report in 2021. 

Europe is one of the regions responsible for lagging as the European Region is projecting a 17% relative reduction, with the worst estimations only in the Western Pacific Region at 13%. Only two WHO Regions- the African and Southeast Asian regions – can reach the 2025 target of a 30% reduction.

The situation is not expected to improve by 2030 either – by 2030, the European region is projected to have the highest rates globally, with just over 23% prevalence. Based on the latest data from 2022, Europe has the second-highest percentage of the population using tobacco – over 25%, just after South-East Asia.

WHO Europe also has the highest tobacco use rates among women, which are more than double the global average and are reducing much slower than in all other regions.

The European region is not shining when it comes to children aged 13–15 years smoking.

Commenting on the report, Stefan de Keersmaecker, the Commission’s Spokesperson for public health, said, “The Commission has long engaged in efforts in the EU and globally to reduce tobacco consumption and is evaluating the tobacco control legislation”. 

He mentioned initiatives such as the Tobacco Products Directive and the Tobacco Advertising Directive – in line with the ambition of creating a ‘Tobacco-Free Generation’, where less than 5% of the population uses tobacco by 2040, as set out in Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan. 

“The Commission is working on a proposal for revising the 2009 Council Recommendation on smoke-free environments,” Keersmaecker added.

The Commission’s proposal aims to update the recommendation by extending its coverage to emerging products, such as e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, and by including certain outdoor spaces within its scope, such as schools and playgrounds.

While the actions are taken at the EU level, the WHO report warns that it will take years before they start bearing fruit.

“Countries implementing strong tobacco control measures can expect to wait about 30 years between turning the prevalence rate from increasing to decreasing and seeing an associated turnaround in the number of deaths due to tobacco”, the report said.

[Edited by Alice Taylor]

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