How Does Smoking Affect the World?

The effects of cigarette smoking include a shortened life expectancy due to smoking-related illness and economic costs due to lost productivity.

Prevalence

About 1.1 billion people smoke worldwide. Europe and Central Asia have the highest smoking rates, with approximately 35 percent of the population of those regions being smokers.

Health

Approximately 5 million deaths annually are attributed to tobacco use worldwide. The most common causes of death attributed to smoking were cardiovascular disease and lung cancer.

Economy

Annual worldwide tobacco sales total approximately $330 billion. Approximately 47 million people are employed in the tobacco industry worldwide.

Social Costs

Smoking is associated with a substantial social cost, including lost earnings due to early death and the medical costs associated with treating smoking-related illnesses. These costs are estimated to be more than $100 billion in the United States alone.

Poverty

People in less developed, more impoverished countries are less likely to understand the risks associated with cigarette smoking than individuals from developed nations. Rates of smoking-related illness and social costs related to smoking are rising significantly in these countries.

References

• Tobacco Addiction
• Industry Profile for Tobacco
• Understand and Evaluate the Impact of Tobacco Control Policies on Employment