WHO: Tobacco use has decreased in the world, yet 25 crore people are consuming it in India.

New Delhi. The number of people consuming tobacco has decreased across the world including India. Despite this, more than 25.1 crore people are still consuming it in the country. Of these, 79 percent are men while 21 percent are women. This means that in India, more than 19.8 crore men and 5.3 crore women are still victims of tobacco addiction. Their age is 15 years or more. This information has been given by the World Health Organization (WHO) in its new report ‘Global Report on Trends in Prevalence of Tobacco Use 2000-2030’.

According to the report, while 38 percent Indians were consuming tobacco in 2010, it is estimated that it will reduce to 21.8 percent in 2025. This makes it clear that India is on the right path towards the target of 30 percent decline in tobacco use by 2025.

58 lakh women smoke

About 7.5 crore people smoke in the country. Of these, more than 6.9 crore are men while more than 58 lakh are women. If we look at global figures, 124.5 crore people in the world are still using tobacco. Of these, more than 20.1 percent are Indians. According to the World Health Organization, while every third adult was smoking or consuming tobacco in other forms in 2000, this figure has dropped to one in every five in 2022.

Decrease in tobacco use in 150 countries

According to the report, tobacco use of all types is declining significantly among people aged 15 years and older in 150 countries. Even smoking rates have declined in most countries. This is when the tobacco industry is doing its best to promote the use of cigarettes and other products. While in the year 2000, 1362 million people aged 15 years and above were consuming one or more tobacco products, in 2022 this number has reduced to 1245 million. It is estimated that by 2025 the number of tobacco users will reduce to 120 crores.

13 percent boys and 7 percent girls aged 13 to 15 years are consuming

According to the report, 13 percent boys and seven percent girls aged 13 to 15 years are consuming these products. According to the global dataset, at least 3.7 crore adolescents aged 13 to 15 years are using tobacco in some form or the other. These include 2.5 crore boys and 1.2 crore girls.

Tobacco is the cause of 80 lakh deaths every year

Despite this reduction, the health organization has warned that the ‘tobacco epidemic’ remains one of the biggest public health threats facing the world, responsible for the deaths of more than 8 million people every year. Of these, 70 lakh are those who are consuming it directly. Unfortunately, 13 lakh people are dying because they are exposed to secondhand smoke.