Cigarette consumption from a life-course perspective in low- and middle-income countries
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Objective: To calculate the total life-course expenditure of smokers on cigarettes alone, before or without accounting for any economic losses as a result of smoking-attributable death and disease. Method: We used data from Global Adult Tobacco Surveys to calculate annual cigarette consumption and expenditure in 15 low- and middle-income countries. We extracted data on average earnings from the ILOSTAT database of the International Labour Organization. We calculated life-course cigarette expenditures using cohort life expectancies and inflation, and converted these expenditures into net present value terms using a 3% social discount rate. Findings: The average age of adult cigarette smokers in our sample was 40 years, and their average expenditure on cigarettes was equivalent to 7.2% of annual average earnings. Given an average life expectancy of 55 years at the age of 15 years, we estimated an average life-course consumption of 217 752 cigarettes and a full life-course expenditure of 8481 United States dollars (US$) in net present value terms, more than twice the current average annual earnings of workers. However, by quitting, current adult smokers can avoid an average of US$ 6612 in expenditure on cigarettes over their remaining life-course. Conclusion: The affordability of cigarettes is an important determinant of cigarette use and tax policies can have a large effect on consumers, especially young adults. These costs will only increase over time as governments continue to raise taxes to address the market failures inherent within the tobacco market.
Authors: Mark Goodchild, Jeremias Paul, Ruediger Krech
Institution: World Health Organization
Language: English
Subfield: Physiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
Funder: World Health Organization
OpenAlex ID: W4413958099