WHO report says Tobacco control efforts protect 3 quarters of world’s population

By Anjali Sharma

UNITED NATIONS – World Health agency warned on Monday that tobacco use still claims over 7 million lives a year the agency called for greater efforts to limit its use amid rising interference from the global tobacco industry.

WHO published its 2025 report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic on Monday, focused on the six policies outlined in the WHO MPOWER tobacco control measures.

Over 155 countries have implemented at least one of those policy prescriptions has resulted in over 6.1 billion people that’s three-quarters of the world’s population now benefitting: however, major gaps still remain since 2007.

Monitoring tobacco use and prevention policies;

Protecting people from tobacco smoke with smoke-free air legislation;

Offering help to quit tobacco use;

Warning about the dangers of tobacco with pack labels and mass media;

Enforcing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship; and Raising taxes on tobacco.

The agency noted that 110 countries require graphic health warnings on tobacco packaging and WHO new report reveals the strategy has delivered striking gains in the fight against consumption.

It noted that one of the key measures under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control graphic health warnings make the harms of tobacco visibly clear and difficult to ignore.

There has been a growing trend to regulate the use of e-cigarettes or ENDS Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems with the number of countries regulating or banning ENDS increasing from 122 in 2022, to 133 in 2024, WHO stated.

Over 110 countries have failed to launch any anti-tobacco campaigns since 2022, despite the grim statistic that around 1.3 million people continue to die from second-hand smoke every year.

WHO said that 40 countries have not adopted a single MPOWER measure and over 30 countries are still allowing cigarette sales without mandatory health warnings.

The agency has called for urgent action in areas where momentum is lagging.

Ruediger Krech, WHO’s Director of Health Promotion said “Government must act boldly to close remaining gaps, strengthen enforcement, and invest in the proven tools that save lives.”