Tobacco Consumption
- Among adults in Ghana (ages 15-49), 6.3 percent of men and 0.4 percent of women smoke tobacco.1
- Data on tobacco use among youth (ages 13-15) comes from two sources:
- According to the 2012 Global School-Based Student Survey, 8.3 percent of youth smoke cigarettes (boys 9.2 percent; girls 7.1 percent).2
- According to the 2009 Global Youth Tobacco Survey, 12.5 percent use any tobacco products (boys 14.1 percent and girls 10.6 percent).3
Secondhand Smoke Exposure
- Among youth (ages 13-15), 32.3 percent are exposed to secondhand smoke in public places and 19.1 percent are exposed at home.3
Health Consequences
- Every year nearly 7,000 Ghanaians die from smoking-related causes.4
- Even though fewer men and women die on average in Ghana than in other middle-income countries, still 93 men and 39 women die every week from smoking.4
Tobacco Industry
British American Tobacco (BAT) was the major player with about 95 percent of the market. However, domestic production ceased in 2006 when BAT closed its factory. Most supplies now come from Nigeria.
FCTC Status
Ghana ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control on November 29, 2004. The treaty went into effect on February 27, 2005.
Tobacco Control Policy Status
For information regarding smoke-free places, advertising and promotion, and packaging and labeling, visit the Tobacco Control Laws website.
1 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, 2014; National.
2 Global School-based Student Health Survey, 2012; National.
3 Global Youth Tobacco Survey, 2009; National.
4 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2015. Seattle, WA: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), University of Washington, 2017
Last updated Aug. 31, 2017