SUMMARY: The rise of Child and Female smokers in Pakistan is a cause for alarm, according to a report by Capital Calling, a network of academic researchers and professionals. The report supports increasing taxes on cigarettes and condemns multinational companies for lobbying to reduce taxes.
The report emphasizes that smoking rates among women in Pakistan stand at around 7%, leading to a significant health burden of over Rs615 billion annually. To deter smoking and generate revenue, the government raised the Federal Excise Duty (FED) on cigarettes in February. Anti-tobacco activists and civil society applaud this move and urge further tax increases.
The studies mentioned in the report indicate that rural areas have the highest proportion of female smokers in Pakistan (10%), along with those with lower education levels (12%). Additionally, women aged 25 to 29 account for 19.5% of female smokers. Sindh has the highest percentage of women smokers (34%), with 58.5% residing in rural areas. Shockingly, 71.7% of women smokers are illiterate, 33.1% live in poverty, 78.6% are unemployed, and 94.5% are married or divorced. Furthermore, 52.7% of women smokers have experienced domestic violence.
Child smoking is another concerning issue, with an estimated 1,200 children starting to smoke daily and at least 20 million underage smokers, despite the legal age being 18.
Smoking poses severe health risks, including lung cancer, cardiovascular diseases, COPD, and respiratory infections, reducing quality of life and leading to premature death.
A recent study titled “Higher tobacco tax helps reduce cigarette sales in Pakistan” predicts that the government will collect approximately 200 billion rupees in tobacco taxes this year. In the previous fiscal year, tax collection amounted to 148 billion rupees.
The study further reveals that the significant price increase resulting from higher taxes has compelled one out of every 94 smokers among the 31 million adult tobacco users in Pakistan to quit. These individuals have redirected their savings toward essential needs such as food, education, and utilities.
Pakistan has one of the highest tobacco use rates globally, with over 31 million adults (15+) using tobacco, accounting for approximately 19.7% of the adult population.
Meanwhile, multinational tobacco companies operating in Pakistan are attempting to mislead the government by falsely linking tax increases to the illicit cigarette trade. However, extensive research consistently shows that the share of illicit cigarettes does not exceed 18% and includes smuggling from neighboring countries like Afghanistan and Iran.