Tobacco Consumption
- Among adults in the Democratic Republic of Congo, 26.5 percent of men (ages 15-59) and 4.1 percent of women (ages 15-49) use tobacco products.1
- Among youth (ages 13-15) in Kinshasa, 33.6 percent use tobacco products (boys 36.5 percent; girls 29.3 percent), 8.2 percent smoke cigarettes (boys 11.7 percent; girls 3.6 percent), and 28.9 percent use other tobacco products (boys 29.3 percent; girls 27.6 percent).2
Secondhand Smoke Exposure
- Among youth (ages 13-15), 36.8 percent are exposed to secondhand smoke in public places and 30.2 percent are exposed at home.2
Health Consequences
- Every year more than 24,000 Congolese are killed by smoking-related causes.3
- In the Democratic Republic of Congo 334 males and 131 females die weekly from smoking.3
Tobacco Industry
British American Tobacco (BAT) and Congo Tobacco Company (CTC), a subsidiary of Mastermind Group, are the two main tobacco companies. In 2014, BAT closed its main manufacturing factory in Kinshasa and now imports cigarettes from South Africa and Kenya. Also present is Shenimed, a subsidiary of Japan Tobacco International (JTI).
FCTC Status
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control on October 28, 2005. The treaty went into effect on January 26, 2006.
Tobacco Control Policy Status
For information regarding smoke-free places, advertising and promotion, and packaging and labeling, visit the Tobacco Control Laws website.
1 Democratic Republic of Congo Demographic and Health Survey, 2013-2014; National.
2 Global Youth Tobacco Survey, 2008; Subnational (Kinshasa).
3 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2015. Seattle, WA: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), University of Washington, 2017
Last updated Aug. 31, 2017