🚭 Number of tobacco users has dropped by 180 million since 2000

• The number of people using tobacco has decreased from 1.38 billion in 2000 to 1.2 billion in 2024.
• This represents a decrease of 27 percent in relative terms.
• Women reached WHO's target of a 30 percent reduction already in 2020, five years ahead of schedule.

Fewer tobacco users globally

A new report from WHO shows that the number of tobacco users has dropped from 1.38 billion in 2000 to 1.2 billion in 2024. Since 2010, the number of people using tobacco has decreased by 120 million. This represents a decrease of 27 percent in relative terms.

Despite the decline, one in five adults still uses tobacco worldwide. Tobacco continues to cause millions of deaths each year that could be prevented.

Women lead the development

Women have reduced their tobacco use faster than men. They reached WHO's global target of a 30 percent reduction already in 2020, five years before the target date of 2025. The proportion of women using tobacco fell from 11 percent in 2010 to 6.6 percent in 2024. The number of female tobacco users decreased from 277 million in 2010 to 206 million in 2024.

Men are not expected to reach the same target until 2031. Today, more than four out of five tobacco users are men. Nearly 1 billion men still use tobacco. The proportion of men using tobacco has dropped from 41.4 percent in 2010 to 32.5 percent in 2024.

Regional development

Southeast Asia has had the largest decline. The proportion of men using tobacco has almost halved, from 70 percent in 2000 to 37 percent in 2024. The region accounts for over half of the global decline.

Africa has the lowest proportion of tobacco users at 9.5 percent in 2024. The region is on track to meet the target of a 30 percent reduction. But the absolute number of tobacco users continues to rise due to population growth.

The Americas has achieved a reduction of 36 percent in relative terms. The proportion of tobacco users fell to 14 percent in 2024.

Europe is now the region with the highest proportion of tobacco users globally. 24.1 percent of adults used tobacco in 2024. Women in Europe have the highest global proportion of tobacco users at 17.4 percent.

The Eastern Mediterranean has a proportion of 18 percent. Tobacco use continues to increase in some countries in the region.

The Western Pacific has 22.9 percent of adults using tobacco in 2024, compared to 25.8 percent in 2010. Progress in this region is the slowest. Women have a low proportion at 2.5 percent, while men have the highest proportion of all regions at 43.3 percent.

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