For the first time the number of men who use tobacco, globally, may be about to fall, according to estimates published today.
While women have been abandoning smoking in the million since the turn of the century, the male numbers had been going up, the World Health Organisation said.
It now says the number of male smokers could fall by about two million in the next year. Last year there were estimated to be 1,093 million male smokers, an increase of 40 million since the Millennium.
During the same period the number of women smokers fell from 346 million to 244 million – and the number is expected to fall by another seven million in the next year.
The report also shows that 43 million children used tobacco last year. The highest rate of tobacco use is in south-east Asia – but rates are falling fast, WHO said.
WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “Declines in tobacco use amongst males mark a turning point in the fight against tobacco.
“For many years now we had witnessed a steady rise in the number of males using deadly tobacco products. But now, for the first time, we are seeing a decline in male use, driven by governments being tougher on the tobacco industry.
"WHO will continue working closely with countries to maintain this downward trend.”
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