Pakistan Leads South Asia in Smoking-Related Deaths
According to a recent analysis by Gallup Pakistan, Pakistan has the highest annual death toll from smoking in South Asia, surpassing the global average, Dawn Newspaper reported.
The Global Burden of Disease 2024 report reveals a smoking-related death rate of 91.1 per 100,000 people in Pakistan, compared to 78.1 in South Asia and 72.6 worldwide.
Despite a 35% relative decrease in smoking-related deaths from 1990 to 2021, Pakistan’s progress lags behind India, South Asia, and global averages. The World Health Organization notes that purchasing 100 packs of the most popular cigarette brand in Pakistan consumes 3.7% of GDP per capita, significantly lower than India’s 9.8% and Bangladesh’s 4.2%.
A 2022 Gallup poll found that 80% of smokers in Pakistan wish to quit. Additionally, a recent study highlighted that 95% of children in Pakistan and Bangladesh are exposed to second-hand smoke, raising serious health concerns. Efforts to pass the “KP Prohibition of Tobacco and Protection of Non-Smokers Health Bill” are ongoing.
