Singapore: Smoking Prevalence Drops to 10 Percent

The smoking prevalence in Singapore dropped to 10.1 percent in 2020 from 13.9 percent in 2010, reports The Straits Times, citing the city’s Ministry of Health (MOH).

The MOH attributes the decline to its multi-year, multi-pronged approach to reduce and discourage the use of tobacco products among Singaporeans. The ministry says it works with multiple partners to deliver public education to increase awareness of the harms of tobacco use, smoking cessation programs, legislative measures, taxation and enforcement.

Among other measures, the MOH raised the minimum legal age for smoking to 21, and banned emerging tobacco products, on the premise that these can be gateways to smoking.

The MOH is also studying the examples of New Zealand, Malaysia and Denmark, which recently announced plans to implement tobacco-free generation policies. The department says it will examine how these countries develop and enforce the bans, to determine if this can be similarly applied in Singapore.