New research findings reveal that the smoking rate in Cambodia decreased by one-fifth between 2014 and 2021.
Results from the 2021 National Adult Tobacco Survey in Cambodia indicate a decrease in overall smoking prevalence from 16.6% in 2014 to 13.04% in 2021. Male smoking prevalence experienced a decline of 6.93% from 32.3% in 2014 to 25.37% in 2021, while female smoking prevalence decreased from 2.4% in 2014 to 2.05% in 2021.
The attitude of Cambodians is also changing, as evidenced by a survey that found 95% of respondents support a hike in cigarette taxes and 95.75% support an increase in tobacco product prices.
The number of people exposed to tobacco has seen a significant decline from 2014 to 2021. The percentage of individuals exposed to tobacco smoke in their homes has reduced from 66% in 2014 to 27% in 2021. Similarly, the number of individuals exposed to tobacco smoke in their workplace has seen a 50% decrease, from 48% in 2014 to 24% in 2021.
However, concerning is the fact that despite the presence of anti-smoking laws, the exposure to tobacco smoke in public transportation has increased from 33% in 2014 to 62% in 2021.
Every year in Cambodia, over 16,000 people die from smoking, with one-third of those being the poorest individuals. If a smoking ban had been implemented earlier, every one of these preventable deaths could have been avoided. However, the tobacco industry remains active and deceitful in expanding its market, leading to an epidemic of tobacco-related illnesses.
Tobacco not only causes disease and death, but also has an impact on the economy: globally, the tobacco industry causes a loss of over $1.4 trillion USD (about 9.7 trillion RMB) each year. In Cambodia, the economic cost is over $227 million USD (about 1.58 billion RMB) per year due to healthcare expenses and lost productivity alone. Overall, Cambodia suffers an economic loss of $27 billion Cambodian riel (about 4.622 billion RMB) each year due to tobacco, equivalent to 3% of its gross domestic product.
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The prevalence of smoking has decreased in Cambodia.
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