Turkmenistan is pushing to go tobacco-free by the end of 2025, forcing its few smokers underground with bans, high taxes, and fines of up to 200 manats ($57). Cigarettes now cost $14–$49 a pack — up to 11% of the average monthly salary — with many buying single sticks from kiosks supplied by neighboring countries.
According to the WHO, only 4% of the Central Asian nation’s residents smoke.
While authorities stage cigarette burnings and televised pledges to quit, residents say tobacco won’t vanish but will move to the black market.
