The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a stark warning that rising interference from the tobacco industry threatens to derail global progress in reducing tobacco use—and called for urgent, reinforced action to stay on track.
In a statement released on Monday, WHO unveiled its 2025 Global Tobacco Epidemic report at the World Conference on Tobacco Control in Dublin, emphasizing the need to protect hard-won gains in tobacco control.
The report focuses on six proven MPOWER measures designed by WHO to reduce tobacco consumption. Tobacco use continues to kill more than seven million people annually worldwide.
The MPOWER measures include:
- Monitoring tobacco use
- Protecting people through smoke-free laws
- Offering help to quit
- Warning about tobacco dangers through labeling and media
- Enforcing bans on advertising and promotion
- Raising tobacco taxes
Since 2007, 155 countries have adopted at least one MPOWER strategy at the best-practice level—up from only one billion people covered in 2007 to more than 6.1 billion today.
However, only four countries—Brazil, Mauritius, the Netherlands, and Türkiye—have fully implemented all six measures. Seven others, including Ethiopia, Ireland, and Mexico, are nearing full implementation.
Despite this progress, the report identifies troubling gaps:
- 40 countries have yet to implement a single best-practice MPOWER measure
- Over 30 countries still allow cigarette sales without mandatory health warnings
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed that the tobacco industry’s evolving strategies require equally adaptive policy responses.
“By uniting science, policy, and political will, we can create a world where tobacco no longer claims lives, damages economies, or steals futures,” he said.
The report, supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, was released alongside the 2025 Bloomberg Philanthropies Awards for Global Tobacco Control, which recognized governments and organizations making strides in tobacco reduction.
Michael Bloomberg, founder of Bloomberg LP and WHO Global Ambassador for Noncommunicable Diseases, highlighted successes in the adoption of graphic health warnings.
“Today, 110 countries require graphic warnings on tobacco packaging—up from just nine in 2007. This now covers 62 per cent of the global population,” he said.
Still, he cautioned that enforcement remains inconsistent, and packaging for smokeless tobacco products is often poorly regulated.
Other key concerns from the report:
- Only 36 per cent of the global population lives in countries with best-practice anti-tobacco mass media campaigns
- Since 2022, only three countries have increased tobacco taxes to best-practice levels
- Just 33 per cent of people have access to cost-covered quit services
- 1.3 million people die annually from secondhand smoke exposure
- 79 countries have enacted comprehensive smoke-free laws, covering one-third of the global population
- Regulation of e-cigarettes and electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) is on the rise, with 133 countries now regulating or banning them—up from 122 in 2022
- Yet, more than 60 countries still lack any regulations on ENDS
Despite these challenges, Bloomberg praised countries that have passed smoke-free laws in the face of industry opposition, underscoring that political will remains a critical tool in public health advocacy.
