One in 10 deaths around the world is caused by smoking, according to a major new study that shows the tobacco epidemic is far from over and that the threat to lives is spreading across the globe.
There were nearly 1bn smokers in 2015, in spite of tobacco control policies having been adopted by many countries.
That number is expected to rise as the world’s population expands.
One in every four men is a smoker and one in 20 women.
Their lives are likely to be cut short — smoking is the second biggest risk factor for early death and disability after high blood pressure, according to the Guardian newspaper.
The researchers found there were 6.4mn deaths attributed to smoking in 2015, of which half were in just four populous countries — China, India, USA, and Russia.
Major efforts to control tobacco have paid off, according to the study published by the Lancet medical journal.
A World Health Organisation treaty in 2005 ratified by 180 countries recommends measures including smoking bans in public places, high taxes in cigarettes and curbs on advertising and marketing.
According to the study, smoking is the leading cause of many diseases, as tobacco is the main factor in the incidence of heart disease, stroke and chronic kidney disease, in addition to the deterioration of many cases to have cancer.