Why Southeast Asia's fight against smoking isn't over DW 10/19/2025

"Tobacco consumption in Southeast Asia has dropped dramatically over the past two decades, at least in per capita terms, according to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO). Between 2000 and 2020, smoking prevalence in the region fell from 54% to 23%, an achievement that demonstrates "strong political commitment, comprehensive policies and community engagement," said Catharina Boehme, officer-in-charge of WHO Southeast Asia, in a statement earlier this month. Experts say the decline shows the success of long-term public health initiatives."

"Most Southeast Asian countries have strengthened their policies on taxation, packaging, advertising bans and public smoking restrictions, said Yvette Van Der Eijk, assistant professor at the National University of Singapore's Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health. "These measures have made tobacco products less accessible and less socially acceptable," she told DW. However, while the WHO has hailed the region's progress as a major public health success, some researchers have questioned the logic behind its definition of the Southeast Asian region."

"The organization includes India within its Southeast Asia category, while placing Indonesia, the region's largest country, in the Western Pacific region. Most other international bodies classify India as South Asia and Indonesia as part of Southeast Asia. This inconsistency makes it difficult to compare the WHO's figures with other datasets. A Lancet study published in June found smoking rates declined significantly in most Southeast Asian countries between 1990 and 2021, but the absolute number of smokers has risen by around 63%."

Per-capita smoking prevalence in Southeast Asia fell from 54% to 23% between 2000 and 2020. Strong political commitment, comprehensive policies and community engagement alongside strengthened taxation, packaging, advertising bans and public smoking restrictions reduced accessibility and social acceptability of tobacco products. The WHO's regional classification places India in Southeast Asia while assigning Indonesia to the Western Pacific, creating inconsistencies with most international bodies and complicating dataset comparisons. A Lancet analysis found smoking rates declined in most countries between 1990 and 2021, yet the absolute number of smokers rose roughly 63% due to population growth from about 440 million to over 700 million.

Read at www.dw.com