The World Health Organization revealed on June 25, 2025, in Dublin that secondhand smoke kills 1.3 million people yearly, urging stronger tobacco control measures globally to combat rising industry interference.
The WHO’s Global Tobacco Epidemic 2025 report, launched at the World Conference on Tobacco Control, highlights the MPOWER measures, including smoke-free laws, health warnings, and tobacco taxes. These protect 6.1 billion people, but 40 countries lack best-practice policies.
Since 2022, six countries—Cook Islands, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, and Uzbekistan—adopted robust smoke-free laws, covering one-third of the world’s population. However, 110 countries haven’t run anti-tobacco campaigns recently, and enforcement remains inconsistent.
Brazil, Mauritius, Netherlands, and Türkiye fully implemented MPOWER, while seven others, including Ethiopia and Ireland, are close. WHO’s Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus emphasized uniting science and policy to counter tobacco’s evolving threats and save lives.
Despite progress since 2007, 30 countries still allow cigarette sales without health warnings, and smokeless tobacco packaging is poorly regulated. WHO calls for bold government action to close gaps and invest in proven anti-tobacco strategies.
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