A recently released World Health Organization global report has found that an estimated 19.9 percent of Filipinos aged 15 years old and above used tobacco products in 2024, slightly lower than the previous 2022 estimate of 20.4 percent.
The study added that at 35.4 percent, more males from the same age range were tobacco users compared to females last year, but the figure is also lower than the previous estimate of 36.2 percent in 2022.
As for women, only around 4.4 percent in the same age bracket were reported to be using tobacco products in 2024, which also shows a slight drop from the estimated 4.5 percent in 2022.
Based on the percentages, there are still an estimated 16.299 million tobacco users in the Philippines last year, with around 14.553 million men and 1.745 million women.
Globally, the number of tobacco users is also decreasing. The WHO pointed out that in 2024, the number of tobacco users worldwide was at least 1.2 billion, lower than the 1.38 billion recorded in 2000.
“The world is smoking less, but the tobacco epidemic is far from over,” the WHO said in a news release. “Since the number of people using tobacco has dropped by 120 million – a 27 percent drop in relative terms.”
“Yet, tobacco still hooks one in five adults worldwide, fueling millions of preventable deaths every year,” it added.
The WHO said that tobacco use accounts for 25 percent of all deaths due to cancer worldwide. It is the primary cause of lung cancer, with smokers up to 22 times more likely to develop the disease than nonsmokers in their lifetime. Those who smoke also have a higher risk of developing diabetes, respiratory tract infections, and periodontal disease, which affects the gums and destroys the jawbone, leading to tooth loss. They are also more likely to experience gastrointestinal disorders such as stomach ulcers and inflammatory bowel disease.
A decrease in the users of tobacco products is welcome, but the rate at which it is going down is unfortunately not enough, as millions continue to expose themselves and close family members to preventable diseases and deaths because of the habit. Governments have to put more effort into the campaign to mitigate the impact of tobacco use on the human race.*
