Tobacco Use Around the World and in Türkiye
In Türkiye, tobacco use in public spaces has become increasingly visible, with people of almost every age group smoking in ways that disturb those who do not smoke
A farmer harvests tobacco leaves in Altinozu district of Hatay, Turkiye, on October 11, 2026. Photo by Anadolu Images.
T
obacco use is one of the preventable public health crises responsible for millions of deaths worldwide each year and hundreds of thousands in Türkiye. Since the early 2000s, the World Health Organization (WHO) has led efforts at the global and national levels to curb tobacco consumption through legislation and other measures.
According to a WHO report published in 2025, the number of tobacco users fell from 1.38 billion in 2000 to 1.2 billion in 2024. In this regard, Türkiye has become an example for other countries through its legislation and Smoke-Free Air policies, which have helped reduce tobacco consumption.
However, recent data from international organizations show that success in drafting legislation has not translated into effective results on the ground. Unfortunately, one in every five adults worldwide is now dependent on tobacco, and millions of preventable deaths occur each year. Despite Türkiye meeting all of the WHO’s tobacco-control requirements, tobacco consumption has also risen to concerning levels in recent years, particularly since 2016 and especially among women. The growing popularity of newer tobacco products, along with difficulties in enforcement, is undermining the progress achieved in the fight against tobacco use.
The WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control was adopted in 2003 and entered into force in 2004. Since then, governments have pursued a range of measures to combat tobacco use, including monitoring consumption, protecting people from exposure to tobacco smoke, providing support for quitting, requiring warnings about health risks, banning tobacco advertising and increasing taxes on tobacco products.
As a result, the prevalence of tobacco use among adults worldwide declined from 34 percent in 2000 to 22.7 percent in 2022.
The Tobacco industry strikes back
Despite the progress made, multinational tobacco companies continue to develop strategies to counter tax increases, regulatory measures and other efforts to discourage tobacco use.
The tobacco industry has increasingly targeted countries described as developing, less developed or underdeveloped, promoting electronic tobacco products as reduced-harm alternatives that offer consumers a more convenient balance between cost and duration of use.
According to the WHO, more than 100 million people worldwide were using e-cigarettes as of 2025. At least 15 million children between the ages of 13 and 15 already use e-cigarettes. In countries where these products are widely available, children are nine times more likely than adults to use them.
Extensive and appealing marketing campaigns are making tobacco addiction seem increasingly ordinary and socially acceptable, particularly among young people, while contributing to the normalization of unhealthy behavior across society.
The evolution of Tobacco use in Türkiye
For many years, tobacco production, alcoholic beverage sales and the salt trade in Türkiye were managed by the state through TEKEL.
Established in 1862 as a foreign-backed Ottoman company, the organization was transformed into TEKEL in 1925. It was privatized and sold to a foreign company in 2008, after which production was discontinued. Although its factories were closed in 2009, the taxation and distribution of alcoholic beverages and tobacco products in Türkiye remain under the authority of the General Directorate of Tobacco and Alcohol Enterprises, operating under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
The wave of economic liberalization that gathered momentum in Türkiye from the 1980s onward also affected the tobacco sector. The entry of transnational companies into the Turkish market, together with increased advertising and marketing activities, gradually encouraged higher consumption.
Cigarette sales alone rose from 30 billion units in 1960 to 118 billion in 2000. The first nationwide survey conducted in 1988 found that the smoking rate was 44 percent, including 62 percent among men and 24 percent among women.
Although Law No. 1177 on Tobacco and the Tobacco Monopoly was enacted in 1969 to regulate tobacco cultivation and related activities, the first comprehensive legislation aimed at curbing consumption came in 1996 with Law No. 4207 on the Prevention and Control of the Harms of Tobacco Products.
The law restricted smoking in public buildings, public transportation and educational institutions. It also banned tobacco advertising on television and radio and made health warnings mandatory on cigarette packages.
Following Türkiye’s adoption of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2004, Law No. 5727 was enacted in 2008, prohibiting smoking not only in public buildings and public transportation but also in enclosed areas of private workplaces.
In 2009, the ban was extended to enclosed spaces in establishments such as coffeehouses, cafeterias, bars and restaurants.
In 2013, Law No. 6487 prohibited drivers from smoking while operating private vehicles. Television broadcasters were also required to blur images of tobacco products.
Beginning in 2019, tobacco packaging regulations were tightened further. Brand logos, colors and distinctive graphic elements were removed. All brands were required to use a standardized matte dark olive-green package, a uniform typeface and graphic health warnings covering 85 percent of the packaging.
Rising Tobacco use in Türkiye
With more than 21 million tobacco users, over 14 million men and more than 6 million women, Türkiye ranks second only to Russia, which has more than 27 million users, among the 53 countries in the WHO European Region.
France, with more than 15 million users, and Germany, with nearly 14 million, follow.
According to WHO estimates, the proportion of men using tobacco in Türkiye is expected to decline from 51.9 percent in 2000 to 39.9 percent by 2030. However, the rate among women is projected to rise from 14.8 percent in 2000 to 20.7 percent in 2030.
The Turkish Health Survey was first conducted in 2008 and continued every two years until 2016. Since 2019, it has been conducted every three years through face-to-face household interviews by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat).
According to the 2025 survey, based on responses from a total of 27,551 individuals, the proportion of people aged 15 and older who reported using tobacco products daily increased from 28 percent in 2019 to 30.1 percent in 2025. The figure stood at 42.9 percent among men and 17.5 percent among women.
Table 1. Daily Tobacco Product Use by Gender and Age Group (2019, 2022 and 2025)
| Age Group | 2019 Total | 2019 Men | 2019 Women | 2022 Total | 2022 Men | 2022 Women | 2025 Total | 2025 Men | 2025 Women |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 28 | 41.3 | 14.9 | 28.3 | 41.3 | 15.5 | 30.1 | 42.9 | 17.5 |
| 15–24 | 19.6 | 31 | 7.9 | 19.3 | 29 | 9 | 20.6 | 30.5 | 10.1 |
| 25–34 | 34.4 | 51.3 | 17.6 | 34.9 | 51.4 | 18.3 | 36.7 | 53.9 | 19.6 |
| 35–44 | 38.6 | 52.9 | 24.1 | 36.1 | 49 | 23.2 | 39.9 | 53.9 | 25.9 |
| 45–54 | 31.8 | 45.1 | 18.4 | 34.5 | 48.4 | 20.6 | 36 | 49.4 | 22.6 |
| 55–64 | 25.1 | 37.8 | 12.8 | 27.4 | 40.9 | 14.3 | 28.1 | 39.2 | 17.3 |
| 65–74 | 12.5 | 19.9 | 6.1 | 15.2 | 26.1 | 5.6 | 18.2 | 27.4 | 9.9 |
| 75+ | 7.1 | 13.2 | 3.1 | 5.9 | 11.6 | 2.1 | 7.2 | 12.2 | 3.8 |
Source: Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), Türkiye Health Survey 2025, https://veriportali.tuik.gov.tr/tr/press/53990 (October 25, 2026).
The data in Table 1 show that the proportion of tobacco users increased by 0.29 percentage points between 2019 and 2022. The increase accelerated to 1.81 percentage points between 2022 and 2025.
The rate of increase in tobacco use among women was 4.5 times higher than that among men. In all three survey years, 2019, 2022 and 2025, the highest consumption rates were recorded in the 35–44 age group, followed by those aged 25–34.
More than half of the men and approximately one-quarter of the women in this age group use tobacco products every day.
Among young men aged 15–24, a decline of 0.50 percentage points was recorded. By contrast, tobacco use among young women in the same age group increased by 28 percent over six years.
Among middle-aged and older adults, particularly those between 45 and 74, the high smoking rates recorded in previous years suggest that many people are unable to break their habits as they grow older. This trend could lead to an increase in tobacco-related chronic illnesses among the elderly, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cardiovascular disease and lung cancer.
The 2025 Turkish Health Survey presents findings that differ from the WHO’s projections for 2030, indicating that tobacco use is increasing among both men and women in Türkiye.
An examination of why people begin using tobacco products reveals that curiosity was the most common reason in 2010, accounting for 34.52 percent of cases. However, from 2014 onward, peer influence became the most significant factor.
Peer influence, curiosity and imitation together account for approximately 80 percent of the reasons people give for starting to use tobacco.
The fourfold increase in the number of people reporting that they had no particular reason for starting may also reflect the normalization of tobacco use, its growing acceptance as an ordinary part of daily life and increased passive exposure to tobacco smoke.
Women are more likely than men to start using tobacco because of family-related or personal problems. In 2025, 17.99 percent of women said they had started using tobacco because of emotional and psychosocial problems, compared with 8.81 percent of men.
However, men are more likely than women to start using tobacco out of a desire to imitate others. This suggests that motivations such as social acceptance, copying role models and seeking a sense of identity may be more pronounced among men.
Today, despite all the measures introduced under the law, it is clear that enforcement often falls short in everyday public life.
Beyond the institutions and organizations formally responsible for enforcement, every member of society has a role to play in protecting public health and helping create a tobacco-free Türkiye and world through public oversight.
In recent years, tobacco use in public spaces has become increasingly visible, with people of almost every age group smoking in ways that disturb those who do not smoke. The goal of maintaining smoke-free public spaces is being undermined, particularly in the hospitality sector, where outdoor areas have effectively become spaces dominated by tobacco consumption.
Being exposed to cigarette smoke from people smoking while walking down the street or waiting at a bus stop has become commonplace.
The evidence and everyday experience suggest that efforts to reduce tobacco use should begin with peer groups, school environments and spaces where young people socialize.
Families, schools, peer groups and social media and digital platforms must all be part of efforts to prevent the use of tobacco and similar products.
Türkiye made significant progress in tobacco control in the early 2000s compared with many other countries. Today, however, inadequate enforcement has become a major problem.
Protecting public health, both now and in the future, and avoiding the waste of financial resources require us to do everything possible to reduce tobacco use.
(Originally published in Turkish by Kriter)
