The Top 5 Causes of Smoking Deaths Worldwide Among Industrialized Nations

  Cause of Death Percentage
1 Cardiovascular 42%
2 Lung Cancer 21%
3 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease 13%
4 Other Cancers 9%
5 Other respiratory illnesses 6%
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 Special Report
  1. There are more than 4000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, of which at least 250 are known to be harmful and more than 50 are known to cause cancer. Tobacco is the second major cause of death in the world, after cardiovascular disease, and is directly responsible for about one in ten adult deaths worldwide, equating to about 6 million deaths each year. Cigarettes kill half of all lifetime users. Half die in middle age - between 35 and 69 years old. No other consumer product is as dangerous, or kills as many people. Tobacco kills more than AIDS, legal drugs, illegal drugs, road accidents, murder, and suicide combined. (a.)
  2. Tobacco kills more men in developing countries than in industrialised countries, and it is likely that deaths among women will soon be the same. While 0.1 billion people died from tobacco use in the 20th century, ten times as many will die in the 21st century. (a.) If current trends continue, tobacco use could kill more than eight million people per year by 2030, and up to one billion people in total in the 21st century.(b.)
  3. According to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control state that there is “no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke”. Creating 100% smoke-free environments is the only way to protect people from the harmful effects of second-hand tobacco smoke. (b.)
  4. More than 80% of the world's one billion smokers live in low- and middle-income countries. The number of male smokers in China exceeds the entire population of the United States. (b.).
  5. Only 5.4% of people are protected by comprehensive national smoke-free laws globally and Of the 100 most populous cities, 22 are smoke free. Second-hand smoke causes 600 000 premature deaths per year. In 2004, children accounted for 28% of the deaths attributable to second-hand smoke.
Top 5 facts sources:
  1. Shafey, O., Eriksen, M., Ross, H., Mackay, J., (2009). "The Tobacco Atlas, Third Edition." Retrieved Jan 12th, 2011.
  2. WHO. (2009). "WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic". Retrieved Jan 12th, 2011.
Tags: Death Statistics, Tobacco & Smoking Statistics

Sources:  American Cancer Society:The Tobbaco Atlas 2nd Edition

List Notes: 
Causes of Smoking Deaths Worldwide Among Industrialized Nations

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