Pakistan wins WHO award in recognition of its contributions to tobacco control

The World Health Organization (WHO) has awarded the World No Tobacco Day (WND) 2026 Award to Pakistan in recognition of its outstanding contributions to tobacco control.

According to the statement issued by the WHO, the award was jointly awarded to the Tobacco Control Cell of the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination of Pakistan and Dr. Waseem Iftikhar Janjua, Senior Research Fellow at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI).

The WNTD Award is presented annually to individuals or organizations from each of the six WHO regions in recognition of their outstanding contributions to tobacco control.

The statement further added that Pakistan successfully reduced tobacco consumption by 15.7% between 2014 and 2024, due to measures implemented to meet its international obligations under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), according to new findings from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) 2024 led by the Government of Pakistan in partnership with WHO and the CDC Foundation.

“16.1% of Pakistan’s population aged 15 years and older continue to use tobacco products. As a result, each year, tobacco continues to cause nearly 164,000 deaths and economic losses of more than 1.8 trillion Pakistani rupees (about US$6.6 billion).”

He said the GATS 2024 results were presented – under the leadership of Health Minister Mustafa Kamal – as part of the expanded celebrations of the WNTD and the international campaign launched by the WHO under the theme “Unmasking the Call – Countering Tobacco and Nicotine Addiction.”

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The survey followed a global, science-based standard protocol to systematically monitor adult tobacco use, offering trends over the past decade and a comparison to the 2014 round.

It was carried out by the National Institute of Population Studies, Training and Research in collaboration with the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination – through its Tobacco Control Cell – and the WHO. More than 11,000 interviews were completed with an overall response rate of 95.6%.

Decreased exposure to secondhand smoke

Among other key encouraging findings, the GATS 2024 results underline that between the previous survey in 2014 and 2024, exposure to passive tobacco smoke in Pakistan decreased in all places measured in both surveys: homes (48.3% to 28.8%), workplaces (69.1% to 35.9%), government buildings (64.6% to 40.7%), private buildings (77.3% to 54.8%), health centers. (37.6% to 24.5%), restaurants (86.0% to 55.2%), wedding halls (65.7% to 50.3%), public transportation (76.2% to 45.4%), universities (44.2% to 33.3%), and schools (25.1% to 11.5%).

Additionally, the survey reported a decrease in exposure to in-store tobacco advertising or promotions (from 20.4% to 17.8%) and to any tobacco advertising, promotion or sponsorship (from 38.6% in 2014 to 30.5%).

However, female tobacco use increased slightly by 1.7%, with 5.9% of women aged 15 years and older smoking, and there was a marginal decrease in the percentages of smokers who attempted to quit in the past 12 months (from 24.7% to 24.1%) and who were advised to quit when visiting a healthcare provider (from 51.8% to 49.9%).

Key tobacco control measures to prevent significant health risks

The findings further added that since 2014, under the umbrella of the WHO FCTC, Pakistan had implemented key policy changes to reduce tobacco consumption, including a 208% increase in tobacco taxes during fiscal year 2022-2023; larger graphic health warnings on tobacco packages; ban on the sale of loose cigarettes throughout the country; the National Tobacco Control Strategy 2022-2030; and the establishment of provincial tobacco control cells and implementation and monitoring committees, among others.

Secretary of the Ministry of National Health Regulations, Services and Coordination, Muhammad Aslam Ghauri, addressing the event, said, “This year’s WNTD theme, ‘Unmasking the Call – Countering Tobacco and Nicotine Addiction’, served as a timely reminder of the evolving tactics employed by the tobacco and nicotine industries to target young populations and create lifelong addiction.

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“The emergence of e-cigarettes, vaping devices, heated tobacco products and digital advertising platforms has transformed the tobacco epidemic into a more complex public health challenge. The aggressive targeting of young people through flavored products, the influence of social media and misleading perceptions about safer alternatives demand urgent and coordinated policy action,” he said.

Ghauri recalled that Pakistan continued to face a significant burden of tobacco consumption. “GATS Pakistan 2024 findings reveal that approximately 22.7 million adults currently use tobacco products in the country. Exposure to secondhand smoke and tobacco advertising remains widespread, particularly in public spaces and among younger age groups. Approximately 163,600 Pakistanis die each year from tobacco-related causes, representing 448 deaths per day.”

WHO Representative in Pakistan, Dr Luo Dapeng, said: “The results of GATS 2024 confirm that, together, we can protect and save lives through international cooperation and the implementation of targeted measures, such as taxes and a ban on tobacco advertisements, that especially target our children and adolescents.”

“The science is very clear: all tobacco products are deadly. WHO will always support Pakistan to protect our children and families from this public health threat,” he added.