File Photo: A man smokes a Cleopatra cigarette, produced by Eastern Company SAE. Reuters
CAPMAS noted in the survey that while wealthier families allocate more money to smoking, poorer households bear a heavier relative burden.
According to CAPMAS's survey, the highest average spending was recorded in the fifth income bracket—the wealthiest—where families spent EGP 16,200 per year on tobacco.
In contrast, the lowest-income households spent EGP 8,500 annually.
However, the survey highlighted that smoking consumed a larger share of total expenditures for poorer families. It constituted 10.2 percent of income for the lowest bracket and 10.5 percent for the second, whereas it constituted 9.2 percent for the highest bracket.
A spate of cigarette price hikes exacerbated the situation as popular local brands reached up to EGP 34 per pack. Similarly, imported cigarettes now range from EGP 69 to EGP 89.
It is worth noting that Egypt's minimum monthly wage is EGP 6,000, which is equivalent to EGP 72,000 per year.
The survey found that 33.5 percent of Egyptian households have at least one smoker, exposing roughly 26 million non-smokers—primarily women and children—to secondhand smoke.
CAPMAS added that the 35-44 age group had the highest smoking rate at 19.2 percent, followed by 45-54-year-olds (18.5 percent) and those aged 25-34 (17 percent).
This raises concerns about productivity and healthcare costs among these age groups.
CAPMAS also estimates that 14.2 percent of Egyptians aged 15 and above—about 10.3 million people—are smokers, a decrease from 17 percent in 2021/2022.
Despite this drop, tobacco remains a leading global killer, with over 8 million deaths annually, disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income nations.
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