While the number of smokers worldwide has fallen, just four countries are taking adequate prevention steps, the World Health Organization (WHO) says. Switzerland is a laggard, at least according to most recent statistics.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/dos
Español
es
La prevención del tabaquismo presenta un panorama desigual
A report by the Geneva-based WHO said on Monday that Brazil, Mauritius, Turkey and the Netherlands were the only countries to have implemented all recommended anti-tobacco measures.
Eight countries are meanwhile just one policy step away from joining this select group: Ethiopia, Iran, Ireland, Jordan, Madagascar, Mexico, New Zealand and Spain.
That said, the proportion of smokers worldwide fell from 22.8% in 2007 to 17% in 2021. “Slowly but surely, more and more people are being protected from the harms of tobacco,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
In Switzerland the smoking rate fell in the early 2000s but has since stagnated, according to the Federal Office for Public Health (FOPH); in 2017 it was 27.1%.
About a fifth of the population uses tobacco daily, while 8% are occasional smokers. There are more male smokers (31%) than female (23%).
Just over 20% of 15-19-year-olds smoke. The proportion is highest among the 20-24-year-old category (c. 40%). The rate then steadily declines with age.
Smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death in the world, the WHO says. It kills 8.7 million people each year, including 1.3 million from second-hand smoke.
In Switzerland, tobacco causes 9,500 premature deaths each year, and the annual costs of medical treatment for tobacco-related diseases come to some CHF3 billion ($3.43 billion).
Switzerland participates in ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting
This content was published on
This engagement was part of a four-day tour of Southeast Asia, aimed at advancing the Swiss Federal Council's Southeast Asia Strategy.
Majority of shareholders approve sustainability reports of major Swiss companies
This content was published on
Shareholders have approved the sustainability reports of the largest Swiss companies by a large majority at their annual general meetings.
EU releases €1.5B frozen assets to Ukraine: Switzerland opts out
This content was published on
The EU announced the release of €1.5 billion (CHF1.44 billion) in aid to Ukraine. Switzerland will not follow the EU's approach.
Five people charged in connection with deadly Swiss rockslide
This content was published on
Five people have been charged with multiple negligent homicide in connection with the deadly Bondo rockslide that occurred seven years ago.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.