Tobacco Atlas Country Factsheets, Now Updated with Latest Data, Highlight Opportunities for Policy Makers
The Tobacco Atlas, produced by experts at Economics for Health and Vital Strategies, continues to serve as a crucial resource for the tobacco control community globally. This includes succinct chapters outlining challenges related to the tobacco epidemic and proven solutions, the Cost Recovery and Revenue Estimator (CoRRE) tool, and much more.
A key component of this work is country-level data, which are essential to strengthen tobacco control on a national level. Specifically, the Tobacco Atlas Country Factsheets, which are now updated with the latest data from the most recent WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, 2025 and the Economics for Health Cigarette Tax Scorecard (4th edition), provide a snapshot of the tobacco epidemic and related policies in 195 countries.
Some of the newest findings include:
- Each year, tobacco use claims nearly 300,000 lives, just in Indonesia. The factsheets highlight how many lives are at stake in each country, along with the share of all deaths caused by tobacco use.
- In the United States, smoking costs more than $620 billion annually in healthcare expenditures and lost economic productivity. The factsheets estimate country’s economic costs, which can be recovered through effective taxation and stronger tobacco control policies.
- In Chile, a striking 19% of girls ages 10-14 smoke, compared to 10% of boys in the same age group in 2023, highlighting shifting patterns in youth smoking in many countries. The factsheets incorporate data on youth smoking, which is essential to understand the future trajectory of the tobacco epidemic.
- In 2025, 1 in 2 men in Jordan were current smokers, highlighting the need for policy interventions. The factsheets showcase adult and youth smoking prevalence rates, along with smokeless tobacco use rates, demonstrating the enormous magnitude of the problem.
- Tobacco damage extends far beyond health, as cigarette butts are the most discarded waste globally. Around 1.1 million tons of cigarette butts end up as toxic trash—equivalent to the weight of more than 410,000 female African elephants. The factsheets discuss the negative effects of tobacco use broadly, including the environmental harm in each country.
- Cigarette tax scores from the Cigarette Tax Scorecard represent the effectiveness of a country’s cigarette taxation—ranging from a minimum of zero to a maximum of 5 points. Finland, a top performer in 2024, earned 4 point out of 5, as a result of high cigarette prices and a large tax share of price. Its overall score has risen steadily over the last decade, making it a leading example of effective cigarette tax implementation. The factsheets present this concise assessment of country’s cigarette tax policies.
Around the world, the data show that tobacco use continues to be a substantial burden on populations and economies, especially in low- and middle-income countries. There is significant opportunity for governments to reap the benefits of strong tobacco control policies, which align with evidence-based best practices.
Visit TobaccoAtlas.org to download your country’s Factsheet and learn about tobacco consumption across different groups, the far-reaching negative impacts of tobacco use, and the implementation of tobacco control strategies, including effective tobacco tax policy.