Tobacco use in Afghanistan

Two types of tobacco are used in Afghanistan. Cigarette smoking and naswar or moist snuff which is used through mouth and nose. Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) held in schools of five provinces of Afghanistan showed high exposure to second hand smoke. As per WHO, about 35.2% of male and 2.1% of female consume tobacco in Afghanistan.

Average age for initiation of smoking in Afghanistan is 13 years as per WHO.

Another unpublished study by Welayatee et al. in general population of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, showed high prevalence of cigarette smoking among males and females aged 18 years and older. Naswar was another common form of tobacco used by adult males.

Afghanistan joined WHO FCTC in 2010. According to data from the World Bank, smoking rates in Afghanistan decreased by around 20% between 2010 and 2020, from 29.1 to 23.3%.