Nearly 2.7 billion people worldwide are secondhand smokers, meaning they are exposed to tobacco smoke without being smokers themselves. This is one of the conclusions of a recent study that analyzed the global impact of exposure to tobacco smoke.
Among those affected, 767 million are children under 15 years old, representing a significant portion of the world population exposed to secondhand smoke. Children are particularly vulnerable to the harmful effects of tobacco smoke.
The study also revealed that this exposure to secondhand smoke contributed to 1.66 million deaths in 2023. This number highlights the serious impact that tobacco smoke has not only on active smokers but also on people who breathe secondhand smoke.
The data underscores the scale of the problem of tobacco smoke exposure globally and draws attention to the need for protection measures, especially for children and other vulnerable populations.
