While a shocking 1.3 billion people worldwide reach for tobacco, the true cost of this global addiction is measured in millions of lost lives and trillions in economic damage, as revealed by the stark statistics we explore in this post.
Key Takeaways
- Globally, an estimated 1.3 billion people used tobacco in 2022, representing about 22% of the world population aged 15 years and older.
- In 2020, 80 million children aged 13-15 years worldwide were current tobacco users, including 37 million cigarette smokers.
- Men are more likely to use tobacco than women globally, with 36.7% of men and 7.8% of women using tobacco in 2020.
- In the United States, 12.5% of adults smoked cigarettes in 2020.
- About 28.3 million US adults smoked cigarettes in 2021.
- US adult cigarette smoking declined from 20.9% in 2005 to 12.5% in 2020.
- Tobacco smoking causes 480,000 deaths annually in the United States.
- Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 premature deaths in the US each year, including 41,000 from secondhand smoke.
- Smoking accounts for 80-90% of lung cancer deaths in the US.
- In the US, smoking-related diseases cost $300 billion annually in healthcare and lost productivity.
- Cigarette smoking costs US employers $156 billion per year in lost productivity.
- US healthcare spending due to smoking is $170 billion yearly.
- Secondhand smoke causes over 400 infant deaths annually in the US.
- Non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke have 20-30% higher lung cancer risk.
- Secondhand smoke increases coronary heart disease risk by 25-30%.
One in five people globally use tobacco, which kills eight million yearly.
Economic Costs
- In the US, smoking-related diseases cost $300 billion annually in healthcare and lost productivity.
- Cigarette smoking costs US employers $156 billion per year in lost productivity.
- US healthcare spending due to smoking is $170 billion yearly.
- Globally, economic cost of tobacco is over $1.4 trillion annually, 1.8% of global GDP.
- In low- and middle-income countries, tobacco costs $422 billion in healthcare and productivity losses.
- US states spend $39 billion on smoking-related healthcare each year.
- Smoking costs the average US smoker $9,000 per year including healthcare.
- Lost productivity from premature death due to smoking is $151 billion in US.
- In China, tobacco causes 1.2 million deaths and $153 billion in costs annually.
- India loses $1.7 billion yearly in GDP due to tobacco-related illnesses.
- Europe incurs €98 billion annual cost from smoking.
- Brazil's smoking-related healthcare costs $2.3 billion per year.
- Secondhand smoke costs US $4.6 billion in lost productivity yearly.
- Globally, 75% of tobacco economic burden falls on low/middle-income countries.
- In the US, every adult smoker costs Medicaid $17,000 over lifetime.
- Smoking-related absenteeism costs US businesses $2,500 per smoker yearly.
Economic Costs Interpretation
When you break down the global ledger, the tobacco industry's most impressive product isn't nicotine, but a masterclass in converting human health into a multi-trillion dollar debt passed on to employers, governments, and every person breathing the air.
Global Prevalence
- Globally, an estimated 1.3 billion people used tobacco in 2022, representing about 22% of the world population aged 15 years and older.
- In 2020, 80 million children aged 13-15 years worldwide were current tobacco users, including 37 million cigarette smokers.
- Men are more likely to use tobacco than women globally, with 36.7% of men and 7.8% of women using tobacco in 2020.
- The Eastern Mediterranean Region had the highest tobacco use prevalence at 28.5% among adults aged 15+ in 2020.
- In South-East Asia, tobacco use prevalence among adults was 26.5% in 2020, the second highest globally.
- Europe had a tobacco use prevalence of 25.3% among adults in 2020.
- The Americas region reported 17.4% tobacco use among adults aged 15+ in 2020.
- African region had 12.2% adult tobacco use prevalence in 2020.
- Western Pacific region tobacco use stood at 22.5% for adults in 2020.
- In 2010, there were 967 million daily smokers worldwide, increasing to 1.1 billion by 2020.
- Tobacco use among youth aged 13-15 dropped from 23.6% in 2000 to 13.6% in 2019 globally.
- In low-income countries, 16% of adults used tobacco compared to 22% in high-income countries in 2020.
- Narguile/shisha smoking prevalence among youth was 5.3% globally in 2019.
- Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) use among youth 13-15 was 13.1% in 2021.
- In China, 25.6% of adults aged 15+ used tobacco in 2020, with 49.4% of men.
- India had 10.7% tobacco use prevalence among adults in 2020.
- Indonesia's adult tobacco use rate was 39.0% in 2020.
- Brazil reported 12.4% adult tobacco use in 2020.
- Russian Federation had 30.9% adult tobacco use prevalence in 2020.
Global Prevalence Interpretation
Despite significant progress in curbing youth smoking, the stubbornly high global addiction rate of over one billion adults proves that Big Tobacco's ashes are still dangerously warm.
Health Effects
- Tobacco smoking causes 480,000 deaths annually in the United States.
- Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 premature deaths in the US each year, including 41,000 from secondhand smoke.
- Smoking accounts for 80-90% of lung cancer deaths in the US.
- COPD, largely caused by smoking, leads to 150,000 US deaths yearly.
- Smoking increases heart disease risk by 2 to 4 times.
- Stroke risk is 2-4 times higher among smokers.
- Smoking causes about 1 in 5 deaths from cardiovascular disease in the US.
- Smokers die 10 years earlier on average than non-smokers.
- Smoking during pregnancy increases low birth weight risk by 50%.
- Secondhand smoke exposure causes 7,300 lung cancer deaths annually in US non-smokers.
- Smoking weakens the immune system, increasing infection severity like COVID-19.
- Oral cancer risk is 15-30 times higher for smokers.
- Smoking causes 90% of throat cancers.
- Bladder cancer risk doubles for smokers.
- Smoking reduces fertility in women by 30%.
- Globally, tobacco kills over 8 million people each year, including 1.3 million from secondhand smoke.
- Tobacco use causes 22% of all cancer deaths worldwide.
- Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death, killing half of long-term users.
Health Effects Interpretation
With grim precision, each cigarette acts as a tiny, self-appointed mortician, methodically arranging a national funeral procession that claims nearly half a million Americans annually while quietly billing for decades of life, fertility, and health.
Policy and Quitting
- Comprehensive smoke-free laws reduce heart attacks by 15% post-implementation.
- Quitlines increase quit rates by 60% among callers.
- Raising cigarette taxes by 10% reduces consumption by 4% in high-income countries.
- Graphic health warnings on packs increase quit attempts by 40%.
- Smoking bans in public places reduce heart attack hospitalizations by 10-20%.
- In the US, 55% of adult smokers have tried to quit in the past year.
- Cessation treatments increase long-term quit rates from 3% to 10-25%.
- FDA-approved medications double quit success rates.
- Behavioral counseling triples quit rates when combined with medication.
- Youth tobacco use declined 73% after minimum age 21 law in US.
- Comprehensive tobacco control programs save $20 per $1 spent.
- Mass media campaigns reduce adult smoking prevalence by 5-6%.
- School-based programs reduce youth smoking initiation by 25%.
- Quit rates among US adults increased to 7.4% in 2017 from 6.2% in 2016.
- Varenicline increases quit rates by 50-100% over placebo.
- Nicotine patches boost quit rates by 50-70%.
- Comprehensive policies in 34 countries averted 32 million tobacco deaths by 2050 projection.
- US quitline calls increased 30% after 1-800-QUIT-NOW promotion.
- Tobacco 21 laws in US reduced high school tobacco use by 37%.
- In 2020, 68% of US smokers wanted to quit, but only 7.4% succeeded.
- Bupropion SR doubles quit rates compared to placebo.
Policy and Quitting Interpretation
While governments often struggle to make a dent in public health crises, this data proves that a clever combination of policy, science, and a little financial pressure can make cigarettes look as appealing as a tax audit.
Secondhand Smoke
- Secondhand smoke causes over 400 infant deaths annually in the US.
- Non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke have 20-30% higher lung cancer risk.
- Secondhand smoke increases coronary heart disease risk by 25-30%.
- 40,000 US children admitted yearly to hospitals due to secondhand smoke.
- Secondhand smoke causes 18,300 cancer deaths in US adults yearly.
- Globally, 1.2 million deaths from secondhand smoke exposure annually.
- 65,000 US kids under 18 have asthma attacks from secondhand smoke daily.
- Secondhand smoke exposure in utero increases SIDS risk by 2-5 times.
- 21% of US non-smokers have measurable cotinine from secondhand smoke.
- Secondhand smoke causes stroke risk increase of 20-30%.
- In homes with smokers, child middle ear infections rise 37%.
- Secondhand smoke triggers 750,000 asthma attacks in US kids yearly.
- Workplace secondhand smoke causes 28,000 US deaths yearly.
- E-cigarette secondhand aerosol contains nicotine and toxicants.
- 25% of US middle/high school students exposed to secondhand aerosol.
- Globally, 37.8% of children aged 13-15 exposed to secondhand smoke at home.
- Secondhand smoke reduces lung function in children by 20-30%.
- In US, 1 in 10 kids regularly exposed to secondhand smoke.
- Secondhand smoke increases type 2 diabetes risk by 15-30%.
- 34.3% of US non-smoker adults exposed to secondhand smoke in 2011-2012.
Secondhand Smoke Interpretation
This collection of statistics paints an unequivocal portrait of secondhand smoke not as a mere nuisance, but as a silent, pervasive mass poisoner, casually crippling children and killing bystanders by the thousands each year while we treat its source like a personal choice rather than a public health emergency.
US Prevalence
- In the United States, 12.5% of adults smoked cigarettes in 2020.
- About 28.3 million US adults smoked cigarettes in 2021.
- US adult cigarette smoking declined from 20.9% in 2005 to 12.5% in 2020.
- 11.5% of US high school students smoked cigarettes in 2021.
- 10% of US middle school students used any tobacco product in 2022.
- Among US adults, 4.5% used smokeless tobacco in 2020.
- 2.3% of US high school students used smokeless tobacco in 2021.
- E-cigarette use among US high school students was 14.1% in 2019, dropping to 10% in 2021.
- Cigar use among US adults was 3.5% in 2020.
- Hookah use among US high school students was 3.4% in 2021.
- In California, adult cigarette smoking prevalence was 7.3% in 2020.
- New York State adult smoking rate was 13.1% in 2020.
- In the US, smoking prevalence among adults with mental illness was 25.0% in recent surveys.
- US pregnant women smoking rate was 7.7% in 2020.
- Among US adults aged 18-24, 5.3% smoked cigarettes daily in 2020.
US Prevalence Interpretation
While we’ve made impressive progress in cutting adult smoking rates, the persistent and troubling uptake of tobacco and nicotine products among youth reveals we’re still fighting an uphill battle to fully extinguish addiction’s next generation.
Sources & References
- Reference 1WHOwho.intVisit source
- Reference 2CDCcdc.govVisit source
- Reference 3CDPHcdph.ca.govVisit source
- Reference 4HEALTHhealth.ny.govVisit source
- Reference 5SAMHSAsamhsa.govVisit source
- Reference 6CANCERcancer.orgVisit source
- Reference 7LUNGlung.orgVisit source
- Reference 8TRUTHINITIATIVEtruthinitiative.orgVisit source
- Reference 9NTCPntcp.mohfw.gov.inVisit source
- Reference 10ECec.europa.euVisit source
- Reference 11SURGEONGENERALsurgeongeneral.govVisit source
- Reference 12AAPaap.orgVisit source
- Reference 13FDAfda.govVisit source
- Reference 14COCHRANELIBRARYcochranelibrary.comVisit source
- Reference 15TOBACCOFREEKIDStobaccofreekids.orgVisit source
- Reference 16AHRQahrq.govVisit source