Smokers spending big

More than a trillion cigarettes valued at TL328.8 billion (US$154.1 billion) were consumed in Turkey during the past decade, according to an Anadolu Agency report quoting government data.
‘Sources’ at Turkey’s Food, Agriculture and Livestock Ministry were said to have told the Agency on Thursday that while cigarette consumption had reduced slightly between 2008 and 2017, spending on cigarettes had risen. The sources asked not to be named due to restrictions on speaking to the media.
Smokers spent TL55.9 billion (US$15.3 billion) on more than 106 billion cigarettes last year, while in 2008 they spent TL18.3 billion (US$14.1 billion) on nearly 108 billion.
Turkey exported about 356 billion cigarettes valued at US$3.6 billion over the decade, including 2017 exports of 49.3 billion cigarettes valued at US$484.2 million.
To reduce consumption, Turkey has restricted tobacco use in enclosed public spaces since 2008 and required warning labels on tobacco products since 2010.
In 2005, Turkey’s rate of tobacco-product usage for males over 15 was 51.5 percent and for females it was 16.7 percent, but by 2015 these rates had fallen to 39.5 percent and 12.4 percent respectively, according to World Health Organization data.
The WHO estimates that by 2025, these rates will have dropped to 30.7 percent and 9.2 percent.