Smoking in Egypt is Now 0.5 Percent Less Prevalent Than in 2020

The percentage of smokers in Egypt dropped by half a percentage point, going from 17.3 percent in 2020 to 16.8 percent in 2022, according to surveys conducted by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS).

On the occasion of World No Tobacco Day on 31 May, CAPMAS published a press release stating that 16.8 percent of Egyptians over the age of 15 smoke. The data comes from a 2021/2022 survey. This represents a decrease from the 17.3 percent announced on World No Tobacco Day in 2020.

Smoking is largely a gender-specific phenomenon in Egypt, with 33.8 percent of men over 15 being smokers compared to only 0.3 percent of women.

In terms of age group, smoking is most prevalent in the 35-45 age range at 22.1 percent, closely followed by the 45-54 age range with 21.6 percent. Smoking is least prevalent among teenagers, as 11.7 percent of 15-24 year-olds smoke.

There is no major difference between the city and countryside, with families with at least one smoker in the city slightly higher at 40.1 percent compared to 39.1 percent in the countryside.

The press release also discusses the harmful effects of smoking, stating that more than 8 million people a year die due to tobacco use, in addition to 1.2 million, including 65000 children, as a result of second hand smoking; tobacco use is a major risk factor for heart and respiratory diseases, as well as more than 20 types of cancer.

The health ministry set up a hotline, 16805, in 2022 to help people quit smoking.