Yes—smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death worldwide.
Despite decades of progress, globally about 20% of the world’s adult population continues to smoke. Within that figure, about 80% of the world’s tobacco users live in low- and middle-income countries.
In wealthier countries, smoking rates are often lower than the global average, but smoking has become more concentrated among certain populations. Military veterans, people with substance use disorders or other serious mental health conditions, people in rural areas, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and racial or ethnic minorities all face higher smoking rates.
How many people die from smoking each year?
Globally, more than 7 million people die from tobacco use every year. Most of these deaths are attributable to direct smoking, making it the single largest contributor to the tobacco death toll. Second-hand smoke is responsible for an estimated 1.6 million deaths per year.
Tobacco use is a major driver of the four main noncommunicable diseases: cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease, and diabetes. Smoking causes the majority of cases of lung cancer, which leads to the most cancer deaths annually. Additionally, smoking negatively impacts fertility and pregnancy, and weakens the body’s ability to fight off infection.
Why is smoking so dangerous?
Smoking exposes the body—particularly the lungs and cardiovascular systems—to thousands of chemicals, many of which are harmful or thought to be harmful to human health. About 70 of these compounds are known to cause cancer. These chemicals all come from burning tobacco leaf, which is the main component of cigarettes.
Tobacco also contains nicotine, which is an addictive stimulant. Nicotine isn’t safe on its own: It raises the heart rate and creates a dependency that can be challenging to quit. However, it is not what causes the disease and death caused by smoking.
Nicotine in tobacco is what causes smoking to be addictive, but the vast majority of health complications related to smoking come from the thousands of other compounds in combustible cigarettes. In other words, nicotine addiction is what keeps people smoking, and it is the repeated exposure to harmful compounds that result from combustion, which lead to disease and early death.
Are all nicotine and tobacco products equally harmful?
No.
Cigarettes and other forms of combustible tobacco, like cigars, are the most dangerous way of consuming nicotine and tobacco. Smokeless (oral) tobacco is not burned, so it exposes the body to fewer harmful chemicals than smoking, but it is not safe. It still contains known cancer-causing components and is linked to oral and other cancers. Risk levels vary across these products with some carrying lower-risk profiles than others.
Non-combustible products such as snus, nicotine pouches, and e-cigarettes carry substantially lower health risks than smoking, though they are not risk-free. Major health authorities agree that for adults who smoke and have not been able to quit, switching to these reduced-risk products entirely can lower long-term health risks. That said, because nicotine is addictive and not risk-free, youth must be protected from nicotine addiction, and must not be able to access these products.
If you have additional questions about nicotine, please see our Get The Facts page.
If you are a reporter with the media with additional questions about the global public health burden of smoking, please contact Katherine Ellen Foley, Senior Director, Communications.
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