The Toll of Tobacco in Ethiopia

Tobacco Consumption

• Among adults in Ethiopia (ages 15+), 5.0% currently use tobacco (men 8.1%, women 1.8%):¹
  • 3.7% of adults smoke (men 6.2%; women 1.2%)
  • 1.7% use smokeless tobacco (men 2.6%; women 0.8%)
• Among youth (ages 13-15), 7.9%use tobacco products (boys 9.9%and girls 4.9%):²
  • 1.9% smoke cigarettes (boys 2.5%; girls 0.7%)
  • 6.6% use smokeless tobacco (boys 8.4%and girls 4.4%)

Secondhand Smoke Exposure

• Among adults (ages 15+), 29.3% of adults are exposed to secondhand smoke in indoor workplaces, 31.1% in restaurants, 60.4% in bars or nightclubs, and 11.4% are exposed on public transport.¹
• Among youth (ages 13-15), 41.2% are exposed to secondhand smoke in public places and 14.9%are exposed at home.²

Health Consequences

• Every year over 16,800 Ethiopians are killed by tobacco-related causes.³
• In Ethiopia, 259 men and 65 women die from tobacco-related causes each week.³

Tobacco Industry

National Tobacco Enterprise (state owned) imports foreign brands.

FCTC Status

Ethiopia ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control April 2014. The treaty went into effect on June 23, 2014.

Tobacco Control Policy Status

For information regarding smoke-free places, advertising and promotion, and packaging and labeling, visit the Tobacco Control Laws website.

¹ Ethiopia Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) 2016.
² Global Youth Tobacco Survey, 2003; Subnational (Addis Ababa).
³ Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2016. Seattle, WA: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), University of Washington, 2017

Last updated Oct. 31, 2017