23 June 2025, Dublin/Geneva—The World Well being Group (WHO) immediately launched its report on the World Tobacco Epidemic 2025 on the World Convention on Tobacco Management in Dublin, warning that motion is required to keep up and speed up progress in tobacco management as rising trade interference challenges tobacco insurance policies and management efforts.
The report focuses on the six confirmed WHO MPOWER tobacco management measures to cut back tobacco use, which claims over 7 million lives a yr:
Monitoring tobacco use and prevention insurance policies;
Protecting folks from tobacco smoke with smoke-free air laws;
Offering assist to give up tobacco use;
Warning concerning the risks of tobacco with pack labels and mass media;
Enforcing bans on tobacco promoting, promotion and sponsorship; and
Raising taxes on tobacco.
Since 2007, 155 international locations have applied at the very least one of many WHO MPOWER tobacco management measures to cut back tobacco use at best-practice stage. As we speak, over 6.1 billion folks, three-quarters of the world’s inhabitants, are protected by at the very least one such coverage, in comparison with simply 1 billion in 2007. 4 international locations have applied the total MPOWER bundle: Brazil, Mauritius, the Netherlands (Kingdom of the), and Türkiye. Seven international locations are only one measure away from attaining the total implementation of the MPOWER bundle, signifying the very best stage of tobacco management, together with Ethiopia, Eire, Jordan, Mexico, New Zealand, Slovenia and Spain.
Nevertheless, there are main gaps. Forty international locations nonetheless don’t have any MPOWER measure at best-practice stage and greater than 30 international locations permit cigarette gross sales with out necessary well being warnings.
“Twenty years because the adoption of the WHO Framework Conference on Tobacco Management, we have now many successes to rejoice, however the tobacco trade continues to evolve and so should we,” mentioned Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-Normal. “By uniting science, coverage and political will, we are able to create a world the place tobacco now not claims lives, damages economies or steals futures. Collectively, we are able to finish the tobacco epidemic.”
The WHO World Tobacco Epidemic 2025 report, developed with help from Bloomberg Philanthropies, was launched in the course of the 2025 Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards for World Tobacco Management. The awards celebrated a number of governments and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) making progress to cut back tobacco use.
“Since Bloomberg Philanthropies began supporting world tobacco management efforts in 2007, there was a sea change in the way in which international locations stop tobacco use, however there may be nonetheless a protracted solution to go,” mentioned Michael R. Bloomberg, founding father of Bloomberg LP and Bloomberg Philanthropies and WHO World Ambassador for Noncommunicable Ailments and Accidents. “Bloomberg Philanthropies stays totally dedicated to the WHO’s pressing work – and to saving thousands and thousands extra lives collectively.”
The WHO World Tobacco Epidemic 2025 report reveals that essentially the most hanging positive factors have been in graphic well being warnings, one of many key measures beneath the WHO Framework Conference on Tobacco Management (FCTC), that make the harms of tobacco unimaginable to disregard:
110 international locations now require them — up from simply 9 in 2007 — defending 62% of the worldwide inhabitants; and
25 international locations have adopted plain packaging.
WHO warns, nevertheless, that enforcement is inconsistent, and smokeless tobacco packaging stays poorly regulated. The brand new report is accompanied by a brand new knowledge portal that tracks country-by-country progress between 2007-2025.
Regardless of their effectiveness, 110 international locations haven’t run anti-tobacco campaigns since 2022. Nevertheless, 36% of the worldwide inhabitants now lives in international locations which have run best-practice campaigns, up from simply 19% in 2022. WHO urges international locations to put money into message-tested and evaluated campaigns.
Taxes, give up providers and promoting bans have been increasing, however many enhancements are wanted:
• Taxation: 134 international locations have did not make cigarettes much less reasonably priced. Since 2022, simply 3 have elevated taxes to the best-practice stage.
• Cessation: Solely 33% of individuals globally have entry to cost-covered give up providers.
• Promoting bans: Finest-practice bans exist in 68 international locations, protecting over 25% of the worldwide inhabitants.
Round 1.3 million folks die from second-hand smoke yearly. As we speak, 79 international locations have applied complete smoke-free environments, protecting one-third of the world’s inhabitants. Since 2022, six further international locations (Cook dinner Islands, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sierra Leone, Slovenia and Uzbekistan) have adopted robust smoke-free legal guidelines, regardless of trade resistance, significantly in hospitality venues.
There was a rising pattern to regulate using e-cigarettes or ENDS—Digital Nicotine Supply Methods. The variety of international locations regulating or banning ENDS has grown from 122 in 2022 to 133 in 2024, a transparent sign of elevated consideration to those merchandise. Nevertheless, over 60 international locations nonetheless lack any rules on ENDS.
WHO is looking for pressing motion in areas the place momentum is lagging. “Governments should act boldly to shut remaining gaps, strengthen enforcement, and put money into the confirmed instruments that save lives. WHO calls on all international locations to speed up progress on MPOWER and be certain that nobody is left behind within the combat in opposition to tobacco,” mentioned Dr Ruediger Krech, Director of Well being Promotion.
