Smoking likely to kill 80 lakh people a year by 2030: WHO
Smoking will kill one third more people by 2030 than it does now, according to a study by the World Health Organization and the US National Cancer Institute. Additionally, the number of tobacco-related deaths is projected to increase from 60 lakh annually to 80 lakh. Smoking costs the global economy more than $1 trillion a year, the study added.
Smoking costs the global economy more than $1 trillion a year, and will kill one third more people by 2030 than it does now, according to a study by the World Health Organization and the US National Cancer Institute published on Tuesday.That cost far outweighs global revenues from tobacco taxes, which the WHO estimated at about $269 billion (Rs 18 lakh crore approximately) in 2013-2014."The number of tobacco-related deaths is projected to increase from about 6 million deaths annually to about 8 million annually by 2030, with more than 80 per cent of these occurring in LMICs (low-and middle-income countries)," the study said.Around 80 per cent of smokers live in such countries, and although smoking prevalence was falling among the global population, the total number of smokers worldwide is rising, it said.Health experts say tobacco use is the single biggest preventable cause of death globally."It is responsible for likely over $1 trillion in health care costs and lost productivity each year," said the study, peer-reviewed by more than 70 scientific experts.