Tobacco Consumption
- Among adults (age 15+), 23.8% of Filipinos use tobacco products, including 41.9% of men and 5.8% of women.1
- 22.7% smoke (40.3% of men and 5.1% of women).
- 1.7% use smokeless tobacco (2.7% of men and 0.7% of women).
- Among youth (ages 13-15), 16% use tobacco products (boys 22.2%; girls 10.4%).2
- 12% smoke cigarettes, 3.4% smoke other tobacco products and 2.5% use smokeless tobacco products.
Secondhand Smoke Exposure
- 21.5% of adults (age 15+) who work indoors are exposed to secondhand smoke at the workplace, 21.9% of adults are exposed in restaurants, and 37.6% on public transportation.1
- 54.2% of youth (ages 13–15) in Philippines are exposed to secondhand smoke in enclosed public places, and 38.3% are exposed at home.2
Health Consequences
- About 110,000 Filipinos die from tobacco-related diseases each year.3
- About 21.8% of males deaths and 9.7% of female deaths are caused by tobacco smoke (18.6% overall).3
- More than 23% of male deaths and 12% of female deaths are caused by tobacco (16.6% overall).3
Tobacco Industry
Philip Morris International dominates the cigarette market in the Philippines, holding 70.5% of the market volume in 2018. Japan Tobacco International (JTI) purchased domestic company Mighty Corp in 2017, leading to JTI’s 28.8% of the cigarette market by volume in 2018. In Philippines, over 64.4 billion cigarettes were sold in 2018.4
FCTC Status
Philippines ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control on June 6, 2005. The treaty went into effect on September 4, 2005.
Tobacco Control Policy Status
For a summary of measures on smoke-free places, advertising and promotion, packaging and labeling, and taxation and price, download the Philippines Tobacco Control Policy Status fact sheet. For more information visit the Tobacco Control Laws website.
1 Philippines Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2015. Available from: https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/global/gtss/
2 Philippines Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) 2015: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; 2017. Available from: nccd.cdc.gov/GTSSData/default/default.aspx
3 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2017. Seattle, WA: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), University of Washington; 2020. Available from: vizhub.healthdata.org/gbd-compare/
4 Euromonitor International, 2019
Last updated Jan. 15, 2023