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– WHO: Tobacco regulations now cover nearly 80% of the global population.
– Stricter laws, graphic warnings save lives and cut health costs.
– Experts urge countries to boost funding, curb industry interference, and explore harm-reduction tools.
A recent assessment from World Health Organization-backed sources reports that global tobacco control measures now cover 6.1 billion people—around 76% of the world’s population—thanks to the broad adoption of WHO’s MPOWER framework, encompassing smoke-free laws, advertising bans, health warnings, cessation support, and tobacco taxing. These regulations have contributed to declines in smoking rates and help prevent an estimated 8 million smoking-related deaths annually, while also reducing healthcare costs and productivity losses associated with tobacco-related illnesses.
However, public health advocates caution that progress remains fragile, especially in low- and middle-income countries like Nigeria, where tobacco control funding is under-resourced . Experts such as CAPPA and NTCA recommend boosting national tobacco control budgets—calling for Nigeria to increase its Tobacco Control Fund from ₦13 million to at least ₦300 million annually—and curtailing Tobacco Industry Interference, which dilutes policies and target youth with emerging products. There are also growing calls for countries to embrace tobacco harm reduction—including regulated access to non-combustible nicotine products—as evidence-based tools that could save thousands of lives where cessation options remain limited.
