The World Health Organisation has issued a stark warning about tobacco’s devastating global impact, revealing that more than seven million people die annually from tobacco-related causes. The alarming statistics were unveiled in WHO’s latest Global Tobacco Epidemic 2025 report during the World Conference on Tobacco Control held in Dublin.

Progress Made, But Challenges Remain

WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus acknowledged significant advances in tobacco control over the past two decades since the adoption of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. However, he emphasized that the battle against tobacco is far from won.

“We have many successes to celebrate, but the tobacco industry continues to evolve and so must we,” Ghebreyesus stated. “By uniting science, policy and political will, we can create a world where tobacco no longer claims lives, damages economies or steals futures.”

The report highlighted persistent challenges, including weak enforcement in many countries and ongoing interference from tobacco companies that threatens to undermine decades of public health gains.

MPOWER Measures Show Mixed Results

The WHO’s six MPOWER tobacco control measures have expanded their global reach significantly. These comprehensive strategies encompass monitoring tobacco use, implementing smoke-free legislation, providing cessation support, mandating warning labels, banning advertising, and increasing taxes.

Currently, over 6.1 billion people—representing three-quarters of the world’s population—benefit from at least one MPOWER measure, marking a dramatic increase from just one billion people in 2007. Leading examples include Brazil, Turkey, Mauritius, and the Netherlands, which have successfully implemented all six measures, while seven additional countries are on the verge of complete adoption.

Despite this progress, significant gaps persist. Forty countries still lack any MPOWER measure implemented at best-practice standards, and more than thirty continue to permit cigarette sales without mandatory health warnings.

The Tobacco Threat

Tobacco products contain nicotine, a powerfully addictive substance consumed through cigarettes, cigars, pipes, and smokeless varieties like snuff and chewing tobacco. The WHO identifies tobacco as a primary cause of preventable deaths worldwide, linking its use to heart disease, stroke, cancer, and respiratory conditions.

The impact extends beyond direct users. According to WHO estimates, secondhand smoke claims approximately 1.3 million lives globally each year, putting non-smokers, particularly children, at serious risk for respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.

In Nigeria alone, nearly 30,000 tobacco-related deaths occur annually, according to research by the Centre for the Study of the Economies of Africa, with over 3.2 million Nigerians aged 15 and above actively smoking.

Policy Tools and Implementation Gaps

Graphic health warnings have emerged as particularly effective deterrents. By 2025, 110 countries mandate such warnings—up from only nine in 2007—now covering 62 percent of the global population. Additionally, 25 countries have introduced plain packaging requirements.

However, critical gaps remain in implementation. Since 2022, 110 countries have failed to conduct anti-tobacco media campaigns, though the percentage of people reached by best-practice awareness initiatives has grown from 19 percent in 2022 to 36 percent in 2025.

Taxation remains severely underutilized as a control mechanism. Only three countries have raised tobacco taxes to WHO-recommended levels since 2022, while 134 countries have not made cigarettes less affordable through pricing policies.

Access to cessation services also lags significantly, with just 33 percent of the global population having access to cost-covered quitting support. Meanwhile, only 68 countries have adopted comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship.

Smoke-Free Legislation and E-Cigarette Regulation

Seventy-nine countries have enacted comprehensive smoke-free laws, protecting approximately one-third of the world’s population. Recent additions include Sierra Leone, Indonesia, and Malaysia, which introduced strong indoor smoking prohibitions between 2022 and 2024.

Electronic nicotine delivery systems, including e-cigarettes, have also drawn increased regulatory attention. By 2024, 133 countries had established some form of ENDS regulation, compared to 122 in 2022. However, more than 60 countries still lack any legal framework for controlling these products.

Recognition and Continued Commitment

The report’s release coincided with the 2025 Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards for Global Tobacco Control, honoring countries and organizations making substantial progress in reducing tobacco use.

Michael Bloomberg, WHO’s global ambassador for noncommunicable diseases, expressed cautious optimism about worldwide efforts. “Since Bloomberg Philanthropies started supporting global tobacco control efforts in 2007, there has been a sea change in the way countries prevent tobacco use, but there is still a long way to go,” he noted.

Bloomberg reaffirmed his organization’s commitment to WHO’s mission, emphasizing their shared goal of saving millions more lives through continued collaboration and support.