The use of tobacco by people across the world has gone down, and the Middle East has been no exception where many have succeeded in weaning themselves off the dangerous habit.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said tobacco users have decreased from 1.32 billion 2015 to 1.30 billion in 2021. It expects the number to go further down to 1.27 billion by 2025.
In the UAE, the trade in tobacco went down from Dh410 million to Dh62.4 million in 2019. The dip has been attributed to the UAE’s stringent taxation on cigarettes.
Saudi Arabia too has directed that some 70 percent of the price of a cigarette pack be taxes.
According to the WHO, sixty countries are now on track to achieving the voluntary global target of a 30 per cent reduction by 2025, an increase from two years ago, when only 32 countries were on course.