Tobacco smoking in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, smoking is allowed, but tobacco products including cigarettes are subject to specific legal control measures. Based on these regulations, a comprehensive ban on all tobacco advertising, including cigarettes, is strictly enforced. Health warnings on their packaging are required, and smoking is restricted in public places. There is also a minimum age restriction on sales of 18 years. While no excise tax is applied on cigarettes, the total taxation rate is 58.40%. However, retail sale is allowed, and products can legally be purchased online. Notably, the sale of cigarettes through vending machines is prohibited.

The current prevalence of tobacco smoking among adults aged 15 years and older was estimated to be 15.9% in Bangladesh as of 2024. This marks a decline from previous years; in 2020, the adult current prevalence of smoking was reported to be 18.6%, and in 2019, it was 20.9%. The absolute number of current tobacco smokers in 2024 was approximately 19.7 million. This shows a decrease from 21,9 million in 2020 and 24 million in 2019. In terms of gender-specific data, the current prevalence of tobacco smoking among males in 2024 was significantly higher with 32.5% compared to 0.3% among females. This represents a slight decrease for males from 36.4% in 2020 and 40.8% in 2019. For females, it also declined from 0.5% in 2020 and 1% in 2019. The adult daily tobacco smoking prevalence in 2018 was 22.3%, with a prevalence of 44.4% among males and 0.9% among females.

In 2021, tobacco smoking caused 130,135 deaths in Bangladesh, representing 11.87% of all deaths in the country that year. The data show that smoking-related mortality accounted for 16.83% of all deaths among males and 4.98% among females. These figures underscore the public health challenges posed by tobacco smoking in Bangladesh and emphasize the need for continued public health measures and policies to reduce its impacts.