In this article, we are going to discuss the most smoking countries in Asia. If you’re also interested in finding out which Asian countries are the largest drinkers, here are the Drunkest Countries in Asia.
Asia has a long history of smoking tobacco and has been an important market for the global tobacco industry for many decades now. It is the most populated continent in the world, has a high prevalence of male smokers, and a very low prevalence of female smokers who could possibly be induced into starting smoking. However, Asia’s high smoking culture hasn’t been without a cost. More than half of the world’s smokers live in Asia, and according to a 2018 report by the WHO, one million people in only the Western Pacific Region die every year from cardiovascular disease caused by tobacco use. Surprisingly, Western Pacific is also the only WHO region where all countries have ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, showing that there is still much work to be done.
Global Tobacco Market:
As we mentioned in our article – 25 Countries with the Most Cigarette Smokers per Capita – the global tobacco market is expected to reach $1.049 trillion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 2.5% from 2024 to 2030. The market is fuelled by a growing demand from developing nations, coupled with the rising proliferation of next-generation products (NGPs) across the globe. The high marketing expenditure and discounting of products undertaken by major tobacco companies is also adding to the growth of the industry.
While tobacco consumption is leveling off and even decreasing in some countries, the number of people smoking is still increasing globally, and smokers are smoking more than before. An estimated 1.3 billion people worldwide use tobacco products, 80% of whom are in low- and middle-income countries.
Asian Country with the Highest Tobacco Consumption:
With an overall annual consumption of over 2 million tons, China is not only the Largest Tobacco-Consuming Country in Asia, but also the Country with the Highest Tobacco Consumption in the world. According to the WHO, around one in every three cigarettes in the world is smoked in China and more than half of the country’s adult men are current tobacco smokers. In fact, the state-owned China National Tobacco Corporation (CNTC) is the world’s largest producer of cigarettes and enjoys a monopoly on tobacco growing, production, and sales, with an estimated 97% market share in the country. A small percentage of CNTC’s products are also sold in the international market.
With over $1.35 billion in imports in 2022, China is also the Country that Imports the Most Tobacco in the World.
Country with the Lowest Smoking Rate in Asia:
With a tobacco-smoking prevalence of only 5.4% in 2022, Turkmenistan is the Country that Smokes the Least in Asia. The former Soviet republic ratified the framework convention on tobacco control in 2011, by which time it had already banned smoking in public places, state buildings, and the army. The health-obsessed country has also disallowed any form of tobacco advertising within its borders.
Recent Development in the Asian Tobacco Industry:
It was announced in March that British American Tobacco p.l.c (NYSE:BTI), a leading multi-category consumer goods company that provides tobacco and nicotine products to millions of consumers around the world, has started a $2 billion buyback program after selling part of its stake in India’s ITC Ltd. The sale brings British American Tobacco p.l.c (NYSE:BTI)’s stake in the Indian tobacco giant down to 25.5% from the previous 29%. Net proceeds of the sale totaled approximately $1.95 billion and the Lucky Strike maker announced that it would purchase around $890 million of its shares in 2024 and the remaining $1.11 billion by the end of 2025.
Both, British American Tobacco p.l.c (NYSE:BTI) and ITC Limited are counted among the Top 20 Most Valuable Tobacco Companies in the World.
With that said, here are the Countries where Smoking is Most Popular in Asia.
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Methodology:
To collect data for this article, we have referred to the Global Health Observatory of the WHO, looking for the Asian Countries that Smoke the Most Tobacco. The following countries have been ranked by their age-standardized estimates of tobacco smoking prevalence for both sexes in 2022. The countries that had the same prevalence of smoking tobacco in 2022 were ranked by their figures in 2021.
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20. Nepal
Prevalence of Tobacco Smoking in 2022: 16.4%
Smoking has become a big problem in Nepal, and it is estimated that around 41 Nepalese die from tobacco-related diseases every day, which translates to 27,000 deaths per year. The use of smokeless tobacco is also very common in the South Asian country, and is more prevalent among males (33%) compared to females (5%).
19. North Korea
Prevalence of Tobacco Smoking in 2022: 16.5%
The tobacco industry plays a significant role in the North Korean economy, with around 2.3% of the country’s total arable land dedicated to cultivating the cash crop. North Korea’s counterfeit cigarette production capacity is estimated to exceed two billion packs a year and is a major source of income for the regime.
The country’s leader, Kim Jong-un, is known to be a keen smoker himself and can often be seen enjoying a drag or two on state media.
18. Bangladesh
Prevalence of Tobacco Smoking in 2022: 17.6%
Single sticks, or cigarettes that are sold individually and not as part of a pack, are a significant factor contributing to the high smoking rate in Bangladesh. It is much cheaper to buy a single cigarette than a whole pack, making smoking more accessible to low-income consumers.
With over 47,000 hectares dedicated to tobacco production, Bangladesh is placed among the Top Tobacco Growing Countries in the World.
17. Iraq
Prevalence of Tobacco Smoking in 2022: 19.2%
Cigarette smoking is noted as the main type of tobacco use in Iraq, followed by shisha and pipe. Tobacco is both imported and exported from the country and Iraqis produce over 4 billion cigarettes every year. There is also a thriving black market for tobacco in the country.
16. Thailand
Prevalence of Tobacco Smoking in 2022: 19.2%
Tobacco cultivation is a major source of income for Thai farmers, with over 21,000 hectares dedicated to growing the cash crop. Most of this produce supplies the local market, monopolized by the Tobacco Authority of Thailand under government supervision for setting quotas and producing cigarettes.
15. Japan
Prevalence of Tobacco Smoking in 2022: 19.2%
Although the smoking rate among Japanese men has plummeted heavily over the last two decades, from over 50% in 2001 to 25% in 2022, the country still has over 17 million people who smoke regularly. This firmly places the Land of the Rising Sun among the Countries that Smoke the Most in Asia.
14. Myanmar
Prevalence of Tobacco Smoking in 2022: 19.8%
Even though most people in Myanmar get their tobacco fix by chewing it in betel leaves and smoking cheroots, the cigarette industry still plays an important role in the country. However, following a bloody and chaotic coup in the country, British American Tobacco announced in October 2021 that it would cease all operations in Myanmar and pull out of the military-ruled country by the end of the year.
13. Kuwait
Prevalence of Tobacco Smoking in 2022: 19.9%
Cigarettes, cigars, pipe, and shisha are the most common modalities of smoking tobacco in Kuwait. The country has the lowest prices of cigarettes among all Gulf countries.
12. South Korea
Prevalence of Tobacco Smoking in 2022: 20%
The smoking rate in South Korea has decreased rapidly over the last few years. A major factor contributing to this decrease is the South Korean government raising the price of cigarettes by 80% in 2015, citing the need for more efforts to reduce smoking and better promote public health.
11. Malaysia
Prevalence of Tobacco Smoking in 2022: 20.4%
A large number of Malaysians now prefer e-cigarettes to traditional smoking, with the prevalence of EC use increasing from 0.8% in 2011 to 4.9% in 2019. There are more than 27,000 smoking-related deaths in Malaysia annually.
10. Philippines
Prevalence of Tobacco Smoking in 2022: 20.4%
First introduced in the 1950s, tobacco is widely grown in various provinces in the Philippines, with the industry supporting over 2 million jobs nationwide. The country exported 53% of its total tobacco produced in 2022, while 47% was supplied to local tobacco manufacturers.
The most popular cigarette brand among Filipinos is Marlboro.
9. Vietnam
Prevalence of Tobacco Smoking in 2022: 21.7%
The Vietnam National Tobacco Corporation, a government-owned tobacco company, holds more than half (around 60%) of the cigarette market share in the Southeast Asian country. The tobacco giant reported a revenue of around $1.14 billion in 2022 and supported over 8,000 jobs in Vietnam.
8. Maldives
Prevalence of Tobacco Smoking in 2022: 23%
Maldives does not produce any tobacco itself, but it’s still the Country with the Highest Smoking Rate in South Asia. Camel, Marlboro, Dunhill, American Legend, and Benson & Hedges are among the most popular cigarette brands in the Beautiful Island Country.
7. China
Prevalence of Tobacco Smoking in 2022: 23.4%
There are more than 300 million smokers in China, nearly one-third of the world’s total, so it comes as no surprise that it is included among the Top 10 Countries with the Highest Percentage of Smokers in Asia. The country also produces more than two million metric tons of tobacco each year, and around 20 million Chinese farmers are involved in tobacco farming, with Yunnan province being the largest tobacco-producing region.
6. Laos
Prevalence of Tobacco Smoking in 2022: 25%
Despite an overall downward trend in smoking habits since 2015, around a quarter of the Lao adult population smokes tobacco, putting it among the Highest Smoking Countries in Asia. Smoking causes up to 6,800 deaths annually in Laos and costs the government up to $27 million.
5. Mongolia
Prevalence of Tobacco Smoking in 2022: 28.4%
Cigarettes are the most common tobacco product in Mongolia and around half of the country’s men actively engage in smoking regularly. To reduce consumption, Mongolia launched an active tobacco control policy in 1993, and the Tobacco Control Law has been revised four times in the past decade.
The Mongolian Law on Tobacco Control prohibits tobacco companies from sponsoring any health, education, culture, physical culture, sports or other public events. To reduce smoking rates and discourage the illicit tobacco trade, the government also increased the import tobacco tax by 30% in May 2017 and the excise tobacco tax by 10% in January 2018.
4. Timor-Leste
Prevalence of Tobacco Smoking in 2022: 31.8%
Home to around 1.3 million people, Timor-Leste (or East Timor) is an island country in Southeast Asia, located on the southernmost edge of the Indonesian archipelago. Smoking is an integral part of the country’s fabric and nearly two-thirds of its male population is hooked on the habit.
To bring the smoking rate down, the government increased the excise tax on tobacco by 163% in January 2022 from $19/kg to $50/kg, and then hiked it further to $100/kg a year later, thus impacting the cigarette prices considerably.
However, despite the efforts, Timor-Leste is placed among the Top 5 Countries with the Highest Smoking Rates in Asia.
3. Lebanon
Prevalence of Tobacco Smoking in 2022: 34.3%
Tobacco is a major part of the Lebanese agricultural economy and the country produced just over 10,000 tonnes of it in 2021, down slightly from a high of 12,800 tonnes in 2001. Smoking is simply a part of Lebanese life and other than cigarettes, Shisha cafes are also a common sight in the bustling streets of Beirut. Although the country’s law bans sales of tobacco products to those under 18 years old, it is poorly enforced.
2. Jordan
Prevalence of Tobacco Smoking in 2022: 35.6%
Jordan is the Top Country for Smoking in the Middle East, with over 80% of the country’s male population aged 18-69 engaged in the habit. The country’s tobacco industry casts itself as a major investor and job creator, and tobacco taxes amount to around 18% of the government’s annual revenue. It’s worth noting that Jordan imposes a 200% excise tax on heated tobacco and e-cigarettes.
1. Indonesia
Prevalence of Tobacco Smoking in 2022: 36.5%
Indonesia is known for its relatively high tolerance towards smoking and the country still hasn’t signed or ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Indonesia produced over 237,000 tonnes of raw tobacco in 2021, most of which came from just three provinces – East Java, Central Java, and West Nusa Tenggara.
Established in 1958, PT Gudang Garam Tbk is one of Indonesia’s leading cigarette manufacturers, best known for its kretek clove cigarettes. The company produces over 70 billion cigarettes annually but its share of the domestic market has steadily declined over the last decade to around 20%, as it comes under pressure from rivals such as HM Sampoerna.
With a 36.5% prevalence of tobacco for age-standardized smokers in 2022, Indonesia is the Country that Smokes the Most in Asia.
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