Health officials in Fiji are concerned about rising smoking and alcohol use among young people, following new data presented from the Ministry of Health’s STEPS survey at the Fiji College of General Practitioners conference. Dr. Devina Nand, Head of Health and Wellness, reported that 36.3% of Fijians currently smoke, including 50% of men and 20.6% of women, with nearly one in five smoking daily. Manufactured cigarettes account for 80.6% of use, while 9.5% use smokers’ tobacco, particularly prevalent among those aged 18 to 29. Nand said tobacco use was most common among people aged 18 to 49, and that smoking rates were highest in the Eastern Division. The report calls for earlier intervention, expanded cessation support, higher tobacco and alcohol taxes, tighter marketing controls, and broader community health programs to address the trend.
Tag: smoking rates
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Singapore’s Smoking Rates Fall as Costs Rise
Singapore’s Department of Statistics reported that from 2013 to 2023, the number of households that spent money on tobacco products dropped from 17% to 9%. Those who continued using tobacco saw their monthly spend increase from S$224 to S$255 ($165.76 to $188.70) over the same period, with higher costs largely attributed to repeated excise tax hikes. Officials said lower-income households remain disproportionately impacted, with tobacco accounting for about 5% of monthly expenditures for the lowest income group, compared to 2.3% for the highest.
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Survey Breaks Down Fiji’s Smoking Habits
A survey in Fiji found that 36.3% of adults currently use tobacco, with significantly higher smoking rates among men (50.8%) than women (20.6%). Manufactured cigarettes remain the dominant tobacco product among smokers, with 80.6% of daily smokers using them, according to the Fiji STEPS Survey 2025. The survey was conducted between May 2024 and June 2025 among adults aged 18 to 69.
Daily smoking was reported by 19.5% of adults, while smokeless tobacco use stood at 9.5%, primarily among men. The study also highlighted emerging nicotine trends, with 4.5% of adults reporting e-cigarette use, indicating growing diversification in nicotine consumption despite the continued dominance of manufactured cigarettes.
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Korea: Male Smoking Prevalence Drops Drastically Since 2015
Cigarette smoking among young South Korean men has dropped sharply over the past decade, according to new data from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). In 2024, 28.5% of men in their 30s and 22.6% of men aged 19 to 29 were cigarette smokers—declines of 19.5% and 16.1% respectively since 2015. Men in their 40s recorded the highest smoking rate at 36.9%, down from 45.8%.
The study also found that about 40% of men in their 30s used some form of tobacco in 2024, down only 4.9% from 2019. For men in their 40s, total tobacco use increased slightly despite a small decline in cigarette smoking, reflecting the growing shift toward alternative products.
Health officials attribute part of the trend to changing perceptions about harm. A September 2025 survey of students found that 32.2% believed e-cigarettes were less harmful—or not harmful at all—compared to cigarettes. While authorities welcome the decline in cigarette use, they warn that misconceptions about alternative products may slow broader tobacco harm-reduction progress.