Lancet study: 2.7 billion exposed to second-hand smoke in 2023, 1.66 million deaths

A third of the world's population was exposed to second-hand smoke in 2023, contributing to 1.66 million deaths, according to a Global Burden of Disease study in The Lancet. 767 million children under 15 were among the exposed. European regions show mixed progress: Western Europe reduced exposure sharply, while Central and Eastern Europe remain above the global average.

Bottom line — The study attributes 1.66 million deaths and 44.8 million years of healthy life lost to second-hand smoke in 2023.

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• The Global Burden of Disease 2023 study, published in The Lancet Public Health, analysed data from 204 countries and territories between 1990 and 2023, per Euronews and France 24.
• An estimated 2.71 billion people were exposed to second-hand smoke in 2023, including 767 million children aged 0–14 and 1.49 billion women, according to the study.
• Exposure prevalence in Central Europe, Eastern Europe and Central Asia was 37.7%, above the global average of 33.9%, affecting 146 million people, per Euronews.
• Denmark and Norway achieved the world's largest reductions in exposure since 1990, at −48.8% and −44.3% respectively, Euronews reported.
• The study found that approximately 70% of the world's population is not protected by comprehensive smoke-free laws; only 79 countries have achieved the highest WHO protection standards, mostly in the Americas, per Euronews.
• Second-hand smoke accounted for 44.8 million years of healthy life lost in 2023, primarily through cardiovascular and paediatric respiratory diseases, according to the study.
• In children, exposure caused an estimated 5.2 million respiratory tract infections in 2023, said France 24 citing the study.
• The sidestream smoke inhaled by non-smokers is unfiltered and contains higher per-unit concentrations of toxic and carcinogenic compounds than mainstream smoke, the study explained, per France 24.
• Women are disproportionately affected, especially in regions where female smoking is low, yet second-hand smoke is 'rarely acknowledged as a major risk factor for female health,' the study noted, per France 24.

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