WHO Report Shows Major Progress in Global Fight Against Tobacco, but Industry Remains Obstacle to Greater Gains
Statement of Yolonda C. Richardson, President and CEO, Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
June 23, 2025
DUBLIN, IRELAND – A new report issued today by the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that countries around the world have made major progress in adopting proven policies to reduce tobacco use and save millions of lives, but the tobacco industry remains an obstacle to even greater progress. This report is a clarion call to governments globally to stand up to the tobacco industry’s unrelenting efforts to market its deadly products and fully implement the evidence-based strategies called for by the international tobacco control treaty, the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Without this single-minded clarity, tobacco use will remain a leading cause of preventable death and disease.
Released at the World Conference on Tobacco Control being held in Dublin this week, the WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, 2025 finds that 155 countries have implemented at least one best-practice tobacco control policy. These policies protect over 6.1 billion people worldwide – up from 1 billion people in 2007. More specifically, the report found:
- 110 countries now require graphic health warnings on cigarette packs, protecting 62% of the global population. This is up from just nine countries in 2007.
- 79 countries have implemented comprehensive smoke-free policies, covering one-third of the world’s population.
- 68 countries have banned tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship, covering over 25% of the global population.
This progress is a testament to the sustained public health efforts of governments and non-governmental organizations around the world. This includes Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use, which have provided critical leadership by supporting implementation of strong policies in low- and middle-income countries that are most impacted by the global tobacco epidemic. The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids is proud to be part of this initiative.
Despite this progress, the report highlights a glaring gap in raising tobacco taxes despite the clear scientific evidence that this is a highly effective policy to reduce tobacco use, especially among young people. In addition to reducing tobacco use and related health care costs, tobacco taxes provide a reliable source of revenue for governments to fund public health and other critical programs.
The WHO report makes clear that the tobacco industry remains the primary obstacle to greater progress. While loudly proclaiming that they support a smoke-free future, tobacco companies continue to aggressively market and sell cigarettes around the world and do everything they can to defeat and undermine effective tobacco control policies. The industry is also constantly introducing harmful and addictive products – like e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches and heated tobacco products – with the goal of addicting new generations of tobacco users. No one should be fooled: The tobacco industry is the cause of the problem, not the solution.
Tobacco control policies offer governments a proven, cost-effective strategy to fight non-communicable diseases like cancer and heart disease, save millions of lives and reduce billions in health care costs. Governments must fully implement these policies and put the health and lives of their citizens before the profits of the tobacco industry.
