Prevalence of current tobacco use (% of adults) in Nepal
Nepal: Prevalence of current tobacco use (% of adults) was 28.7% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of current tobacco use in Nepal, 2000–2024
Source: Global Health Observatory Data Repository, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of adults.
Analysis
Nepal recorded 28.7% for prevalence of current tobacco use in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.7% on the previous year and down 23.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of current tobacco use in Nepal peaked at 62.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 28.7%, in 2024.
That places Nepal 35th out of 166 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
Prevalence of current tobacco use (% of adults) in Nepal, year by year
| Year | % of adults | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 62.9% | — |
| 2005 | 53.3% | -15.3% |
| 2007 | 49.5% | -7.1% |
| 2010 | 44.6% | -9.9% |
| 2015 | 37.7% | -15.5% |
| 2020 | 32.4% | -14.1% |
| 2022 | 30.4% | -6.2% |
| 2023 | 29.5% | -3.0% |
| 2024 | 28.7% | -2.7% |
Nepal compared with similar countries
- Nepal's 28.7% is above the median for lower middle income countries, which is 16.2%, 1.8× the median. (40 countries reporting)
- Nepal's 28.7% is above the median for South Asia, which is 24.1%, 1.2× the median. (6 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 55.2% | 49.5% | 62.9% | 3 |
| 2010s | 41.2% | 37.7% | 44.6% | 2 |
| 2020s | 30.2% | 28.7% | 32.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Nepal
More health data for Nepal
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.95 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate 0.8518 % change on previous year (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 955 (2100)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 3 (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -1.17 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.0451 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -2.11 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0467 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of current tobacco use in Nepal?
- Prevalence of current tobacco use in Nepal was 28.7% in 2024, according to Global Health Observatory Data Repository, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest prevalence of current tobacco use recorded in Nepal?
- The highest recorded value was 62.9% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of current tobacco use recorded in Nepal?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.7% in 2024.
- How does Nepal rank for prevalence of current tobacco use?
- Nepal ranks 35th out of 166 countries with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of current tobacco use rising or falling in Nepal?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Nepal data come from?
- The figures come from Global Health Observatory Data Repository, World Health Organization (WHO), published as part of Prevalence of current tobacco use (% of adults). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 9 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
The percentage of the population ages 15 years and over who currently use any tobacco product (smoked and/or smokeless tobacco) on a daily or non-daily basis. Tobacco products include cigarettes, pipes, cigars, cigarillos, waterpipes (hookah, shisha), bidis, kretek, heated tobacco products, and all forms of smokeless (oral and nasal) tobacco. Tobacco products exclude e-cigarettes (which do not contain tobacco), “e-cigars”, “e-hookahs”, JUUL and “e-pipes”. The rates are age-standardized to the WHO Standard Population.