Tobacco smoking in Myanmar
Data sourced:
2024.
Page updated:
2025-10-30
In Myanmar, tobacco smoking remains a significant public health concern. The adult current smoking prevalence among people aged 15 years and older was estimated to be 24.2% in 2024, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In comparison, this prevalence was recorded to be 19.7% in 2020. Among males, the current prevalence in 2024 was substantially higher (36.5%), compared to 3.1% among females, indicating a persistent gender disparity in smoking rates. The total number of smokers was estimated to be approximately 7.5 million in 2024, reflecting a slight decrease from 7.8 million in 2020. For reference, the adult daily smoking prevalence in 2017 was 16.2%, with a prevalence of 28.2% among males and 5.1% among females. The data from 2021 show that 11.17% of all deaths in the country were attributable to tobacco smoking. This includes 40,450 smoking-related deaths among males and 16,391 among females. In terms of percentage, this translates to 14.48% among males and 7.14% among females. These statistics underscore the need for continued public health efforts to address tobacco smoking in Myanmar.
Prevalence
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| Year |
Value |
Reference/Comment |
|
2019
|
8.1 million |
1A
|
|
2024
|
7.5 million |
1B
|
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| Year |
Value |
Reference/Comment |
|
2019
|
20.4% |
1A
|
|
2020
|
19.7% |
1B
|
|
2022
|
19.5% |
1C
A
|
|
2024
|
24.2% |
1D
|
Comments:
- Current tobacco smoking rates among people aged 15 years and older, 2022 estimates. Crude adjusted prevalence (%).
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| Year |
Value |
Reference/Comment |
|
2019
|
4.4% |
1A
|
|
2020
|
3.6% |
1B
|
|
2022
|
3.1% |
1C
A
|
|
2024
|
5.2% |
1D
|
Comments:
- Current tobacco smoking rates among people aged 15 years and older, 2022 estimates. Crude adjusted prevalence (%).
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| Year |
Value |
Reference/Comment |
|
2019
|
36.4% |
1A
|
|
2020
|
37.5% |
1B
|
|
2022
|
36.5% |
1C
A
|
|
2024
|
43.8% |
1D
|
Comments:
- Current tobacco smoking rates among people aged 15 years and older, 2022 estimates. Crude adjusted prevalence (%).
Comments:
- These rates are modelled using all national survey data published since 1990 to estimate the underlying prevalence trends by sex, then applying age-standardization to allow comparison with other countries. They do not necessarily resemble country data from 2015
Smoking-related mortality
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| Year |
Value |
Reference/Comment |
|
2016
|
65,651 |
1A
|
|
2021
|
56,841 |
1B
A
|
Comments:
- Number of tobacco-related deaths in the population in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
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| Year |
Value |
Reference/Comment |
|
2016
|
18,488 |
1A
|
|
2021
|
16,391 |
1B
A
|
Comments:
- Number of tobacco-related deaths in the population in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
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| Year |
Value |
Reference/Comment |
|
2016
|
47,163 |
1A
|
|
2021
|
40,450 |
1B
A
|
Comments:
- Number of tobacco-related deaths in the population in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
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| Year |
Value |
Reference/Comment |
|
2016
|
19.27% |
1A
|
|
2021
|
11.17% |
1B
B
|
Comments:
- Percentage of tobacco-related deaths to deaths from all causes in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
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| Year |
Value |
Reference/Comment |
|
2016
|
11.3% |
1A
|
|
2021
|
7.14% |
1B
B
|
Comments:
- Percentage of tobacco-related deaths to deaths from all causes in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
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| Year |
Value |
Reference/Comment |
|
2016
|
22.4% |
1A
|
|
2021
|
14.48% |
1B
B
|
Comments:
- Percentage of tobacco-related deaths to deaths from all causes in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
Comments:
- Number of tobacco-related deaths in the population in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
- Percentage of tobacco-related deaths to deaths from all causes in 2021 by gender for all age groups. Tobacco-related mortality includes smoking tobacco use, smokeless tobacco use and second-hand smoke.
The GSTHR database is updated regularly by our team.
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We cannot guarantee that the information is up to date or accurate, as the regulatory status of different product
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