The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a warning on the growing threat posed by tobacco industry interference, urging countries to take urgent action to strengthen tobacco control measures.
In a statement released Monday, WHO unveiled its 2025 Global Tobacco Epidemic Report at the World Conference on Tobacco Control in Dublin. The report underscores concerns that industry influence is undermining years of progress in curbing tobacco use, which causes more than seven million deaths each year.
The report evaluates countries’ implementation of the six WHO-recommended MPOWER strategies to reduce tobacco use:
- Monitoring tobacco use and prevention policies
- Protecting people from tobacco smoke through smoke-free laws
- Offering help to quit
- Warning about the dangers of tobacco
- Enforcing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship
- Raising taxes on tobacco
According to the report, 155 countries have implemented at least one of these measures at best-practice level, up from just one billion people protected in 2007 to more than 6.1 billion people today.
However, only four countries—Brazil, Mauritius, the Netherlands, and Türkiye—have fully implemented all six MPOWER strategies. Seven others, including Ethiopia, Ireland, and Mexico, are close to full implementation.
“Forty countries still have no best-practice MPOWER measures in place, and over 30 continue to allow cigarette sales without mandatory health warnings,” the report revealed.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed the importance of adapting tobacco control to meet modern industry tactics.
“By uniting science, policy, and political will, we can create a world where tobacco no longer claims lives, damages economies, or steals futures,” he said.
The report, supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, was launched during the 2025 Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards for Global Tobacco Control, which recognised governments and NGOs for notable strides in tobacco reduction.
Michael Bloomberg, WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases, acknowledged progress in several areas, particularly in the adoption of graphic health warnings. “Today, 110 countries require them—up from just nine in 2007—covering 62 per cent of the world’s population,” he said.
Still, challenges persist:
- Only 36 per cent of the global population lives in countries with best-practice anti-tobacco media campaigns.
- Taxation efforts remain weak, with only three countries raising tobacco taxes to best-practice levels since 2022.
- Just 33 per cent of the world has access to cost-covered quit services.
- An estimated 1.3 million people die annually from second-hand smoke.
- While 79 countries now have comprehensive smoke-free laws, covering a third of the global population, enforcement remains patchy.
The report also noted a gradual rise in regulation of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), including e-cigarettes. The number of countries that have either banned or regulated these products increased from 122 in 2022 to 133 in 2024. However, over 60 countries still lack any form of ENDS regulation.
WHO is urging governments to stand firm against tobacco industry lobbying and implement stronger measures to protect public health.
