Number of non-smokers rising worldwide: WHO

In some good news for anti-tobacco activists, non-smoking is becoming the new norm worldwide as the rate of tobacco use is declining, according to a new online WHO Global Report on Trends in Tobacco Smoking. But, cautions the WHO, it will be up to the Governments to intensify action to combat the tobacco industry and dramatically reduce consumption of tobacco products to, in turn, protect public health.

The e-report was launched during the 16th World Conference on Tobacco or Health (WCTOH) in Abu Dhabi. The conference is focussing on tobacco control and noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), namely lung and heart diseases, cancers and diabetes.

The report finds that in 2010, there were 3.9 billion non-smokers aged 15 years and over in WHO Member States (or 78 per cent of the 5.1 billion population aged 15 plus). This number is projected to rise to 5 billion (or 81 per cent of the projected 6.1 billion population aged 15 plus) by 2025 if the current pace of tobacco cessation continues. 

This trend indicates countries are making inroads, but much greater action is needed to curb the tobacco epidemic if the global target to cut tobacco consumption by 30 per cent by 2025 to reduce premature deaths from non-communicable disease is to be met. “In an ominous trend, in some countries the battle between tobacco and health has moved into the courts,” said Margaret Chan, WHO DG.