There have been several previous attempts to calculate the total costs of smoking from an international perspective, but this is the first time that as much focus has been placed on low- and middle-income countries as on high-income countries.

The researchers have collected a wealth of data from 152 countries on health and socioeconomic parameters in 2012. They have calculated both the direct costs of caring for people with smoking-related diseases and the indirect costs in the form of, among other things, reduced productivity. Costs resulting from passive smoking are not included in the study.

The study shows that in 2012, diseases caused by smoking accounted for 12% (2,1 million) of all deaths among adults aged 30-69. The highest proportion of smoking-related deaths among adults of working age was in Europe and America.

During the current year, a total of 26,8 million working days were lost worldwide as a result of smoke-related ill health.

The researchers estimated the total economic cost of smoking worldwide in 2012 at US$1436 billion, equivalent to 1,8% of global GDP. However, there were significant regional variations. In Canada and the United States, smoking cost 3% of GDP and in Europe, 2,5% of GDP.

Nearly 40% of the global economic costs were borne by low- and middle-income countries; the four countries Brazil, Russia, India and China were particularly hard hit.
The researchers point out that in 2015 the UN General Assembly adopted 17 new Sustainable Development Goals for the period up to 2030. Goal 3 includes, among other things, reducing premature deaths from non-communicable diseases by one third. This concerns cancer, lung diseases, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, where smoking is the largest common risk factor. In light of this, the researchers emphasize that their results “underscore the urgent need for all countries to implement comprehensive tobacco prevention measures to address these economic costs while contributing to achieving sustainable development”.