The number of people using tobacco products, which are the main cause of respiratory diseases as well as cardiovascular ailments, fell from 1.26 billion in 2020 to 1.24 billion in 2022, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO).
At the initiative of the UN agency, Feb. 9 is observed annually as World Stop Smoking Day every year to help prevent the harm from smoking, reduce its use, and raise social awareness.
While approximately 1.26 billion people worldwide used tobacco products in 2020, by 2022 this number fell to 1.24 billion.
A WHO report predicts a further decline in tobacco consumers, projecting that the number of people using tobacco products worldwide will drop to 1.22 billion in 2025.
Among the regions of the world, the WHO found Southeast Asia to be the area with the highest tobacco consumption in 2022.
Some 411 million people use tobacco products in Southeast Asia, followed by the Western Pacific with 370 million, Europe with 179 million, the Americas with 133 million, the Eastern Mediterranean with 92 million, and Africa with 60 million.
Türkiye is in the European region. Its rate of smoking among adults is above 30%, according to the WHO, putting it in the highest category for Europe, along with 15 other European countries.
About 224 million of the approximately 1.24 billion people worldwide consuming tobacco products in 2022 were women.__The Nation
