LEBANON – Recent data published as part of the World Development Indicators and updated on 13 July 2026 show that Lebanon ranks second globally among 166 countries in the prevalence of tobacco use among adults aged 15 and above.
In 2024, the adult smoking rate reached 46.9%, well above the global average of 20.28%.
The data also indicate that Lebanon is the only country among the world's top ten with an increase in smoking prevalence since 2000, rising from 34.3% to 46.9%, an increase of 12.6 percentage points.
The figures further reveal that seven Arab countries recorded smoking rates above the global average: Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, and Algeria.
Meanwhile, the global average smoking rate declined by 14.6 percentage points between 2000 and 2024. In contrast, the Arab average fell by just 0.45 percentage points over the same period, highlighting the region's limited progress in reducing tobacco consumption.
According to the data, this trend is linked to several public policy factors, including governments' reliance on tobacco revenues, tax policies designed to maximize fiscal income rather than reduce consumption, inflation that weakens the impact of higher prices, weak border controls that facilitate smuggling, and the disproportionate burden of tobacco taxes on lower-income populations.
