Current use prevalence of SLT in EECA according to the most recent survey
(2025)
In countries like Uzbekistan, the prevalence of current smoking (10.7%) is significantly lower than the overall tobacco use rate (16.7%). This underscores the notable impact of smokeless tobacco (SLT), especially nasvay, on the region’s patterns of tobacco consumption. According to the most recent international surveys on adult tobacco use, the prevalence of SLT is particularly high in Tajikistan (10.3%) and Uzbekistan (9.9%). This is likely to be rooted in the traditional use of nasvay and its affordability relative to cigarettes. Nasvay is predominantly used by men. About one in five adult men in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan use nasvay - a rate that exceeds male smoking prevalence. With the exception of Kyrgyzstan (5.2%) and Kazakhstan (1.4%), other countries in the EECA region report negligible rates of SLT use.