Among adults (age 15+), 29.4% of South Africans are current tobacco users, including 41.7% of men and 17.9% of women.
25.8% smoke tobacco products (41.2% of men and 11.5% of women).
4.3% use smokeless tobacco products (1.1% of men and 7.2% of women).
Among youth (ages 13-15), 21.5% are current tobacco users (boys 24.3%; girls 19.0%)
12.7% smoke cigarettes (15.0% of boys and 10.8% of girls)
13.5% use other tobacco products (14.4% of boys and 12.6% of girls)
11.2% of adults (age 15+) who work indoors are exposed to secondhand smoke in enclosed areas at their workplace, 10.8% of adults are exposed in restaurants, and 18.0% inside their homes.
39.3% of youth (ages 13–15) in South Africa are around others who smoke in places outside their home, and 29.0% are exposed at home.
Over 39,000 South Africans die from tobacco-related diseases each year.
About 10% of male deaths and 5% of female deaths are caused by tobacco (7.5% overall).
Over 13% of non-communicable disease-related deaths (ex: ischemic heart disease, stroke, diabetes, COPD, lung cancer, etc.) in South Africa, are attributable to tobacco use.
British American Tobacco (BAT) dominates the cigarette market in South Africa, holding 63.3% of the market volume in 2021. Japan Tobacco Inc. (JTI) held 11.9% of the cigarette market by volume in 2021, followed by Philip Morris International (PMI) (9.7%), Gold Leaf Tobacco Corporation (6.6%), and Carnilinx (3.9%). In South Africa, over 16.6 billion cigarettes were sold in 2021.
South Africa ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control on April 19, 2005. The treaty went into effect on July 18, 2005.
