People in Saudi Arabia smoke 15 billion cigarettes a year, at an estimated cost of US$1.3bn, according to new figures provided by the Health Ministry.
The figures point to a looming health crisis in the GCC, where over 80% of the adult population suffers from sedentary diseases such as diabetes, hyper-tension, high cholesterol, smoking related illnesses and obesity, according to WorldCare.
The Kingdom has six million cigarette smokers – including 600,000 women and teenage girls – meaning nearly a quarter of the population smoke. This ranks the Kingdom 23rd among the world’s cigarette consuming nations.
“About 8% of young Saudi men and women start smoking before the primary-school level, 30% during intermediate level, and 10% while they are in the first year of the secondary level,” says Muhammad ibn Marzouk Al-Harithy, director of the Charitable Society to Enhance Public Awareness against Smoking and Drugs in the Makkah Region.
Sheesha, or water pipe, smoking is also increasingly popular amongst the Kingdom’s young people, especially women.
According to MENAFN, the annual number of deaths in Saudi Arabia as a result of smoking-related diseases is estimated at 23,000. And more and more people are suffering from chronic diseases, including cardiac ailments and different types of cancer every year due to smoking.
Last month, Makkah Gov. Prince Abdul Majeed urged all government departments and educational institutions to participate in the third national anti-smoking campaign planned for March, as reported by Arab News.
The Kingdom has been stepping up its efforts to stop the growing smoking trend among citizens. Last November, in a row with tobacco firms, the country warned that it will sue global tobacco firms unless they pay the full cost of treating patients suffering from smoking-related illnesses, the BBC reported.
The health ministry said it had already rejected a lower offer from the tobacco firms, though did not say what level of compensation it was seeking.
A royal decree has banned smoking in all government and state buildings.
Thereis also a ban on advertising cigarettes in the local press or on television.
The capital Riyadh accounts for 35% of the country’s smokers.
According to a Tobacco Free Initiative report, Egypt has the highest tobacco consumption rate in the Middle East while Kuwait ranks 19th in the world.
There are 30,000 smoking-related deaths per year in the GCC countries.
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