These and other numbers for smokers in the country were reported by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) on the occasion of World No-Tobacco Day, which falls on 31 May.

CAPMAS said 18 million Egyptians, out of a population of more than 104 million, smoke.

The heaviest concentration of Egyptians who inhale nicotine and blow out Carbon Dioxide remains in the age group 35-44.

Citing a 2020/2021 survey - titled the Income, Expenditure, and Consumption Survey - CAPMAS said 16.8 percent of Egyptians over the age of 15 use tobacco, 33.8 percent of all men and 0.3 percent of all women.

In May 2020, on the occasion of World No-Tobacco Day that year, CAPMAS reported that 17.3 percent of all Egyptians over the age of 15 at the time were smokers.

The most recent figures for male and female smokers amongst Egyptians are almost identical to those reported in the country in 2020 but are lower than the global averages.

In 2020, 22.3 percent of the global population used tobacco, 36.7 percent of all men and 7.8 percent of the world’s women, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

The incomes and expenditures survey also found that 39.6 percent of all households in Egypt have at least one smoker at home, which means that 34 million non-smokers are exposed to second-hand smoke by a member of the family who keeps lighting up indoors.

It detected that the age group with the highest smoking rate is 35-44 years old, with a prevalence rate of 22.1 percent, followed by the age group of 45-54 years old at a rate of 21.6 percent, and the age group of 25-34 years old at a rate of 19.9 percent.

These findings mean that middle-aged Egyptian men are lighting up the most while the younger generation Z takes slightly better care of their health.

The average annual expenditure of households on smoking is EGP 2665, according to the survey.

Science, CAPMAS stressed, shows that tobacco use is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, and over 20 different types of cancer.

More than 8 million people die each year due to tobacco use, according to the WHO.

Most tobacco-related deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries like Egypt.

Exposure to second-hand smoke (aka passive smoking) leads to harmful health outcomes and causes the death of 1.2 million people annually, also according to the WHO.

Nearly half of all children in the world breathe air polluted by tobacco smoke.

Approximately 65,000 children die each year due to second-hand smoke-related diseases.

If you want to quit smoking: Call the government hotline on 16805 for free-of-charge support!