Vietnam Ranks 15th in Global Smoking Statistics

According to recent statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), Vietnam ranks 15th in the world for the number of smokers. The organization has reported that a staggering 8 million people die each year globally due to smoking, including 1 million passive smokers. The economic burden of tobacco amounts to approximately $140 billion annually on a global scale.

Despite the vigorous efforts of the Vietnamese Ministry of Health, local governments, and departments, Vietnam still ranks 15th among countries with high smoking rates globally. Among ASEAN countries, Vietnam stands as the third highest in terms of the number of smoking adults, only surpassed by Indonesia and the Philippines.

According to estimates by the World Health Organization, Vietnam has saved approximately 280,000 lives from tobacco-related diseases by implementing smoking prevention measures. Moreover, the country has saved around 1.3 trillion Vietnamese dong in healthcare costs between 2015 and 2020 by curbing tobacco consumption. Despite these achievements, Vietnam still ranks among the top 15 countries with the highest number of male smokers globally. Although smoking rates have decreased, the target set by the "2020 National Anti-Smoking Strategy" of reducing male smoking rates to 39% has not been achieved.

The World Health Organization highlighted in its reports of the sixth and seventh global tobacco control conferences that all tobacco products pose a threat to human health. If we do not take decisive actions to halt the spread of these emerging tobacco products, smoking rates will once again rise, and Vietnam will face even greater repercussions in the near future.