Prevalence of current tobacco use in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income): Prevalence of current tobacco use was 8.9% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Prevalence of current tobacco use in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), 2000–2024
Source: Global Health Observatory Data Repository, World Health Organization (WHO). Measured in % of adults.
Analysis
The most recent figure for prevalence of current tobacco use in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) is 8.9%, measured in 2024. That is the lowest value across all 9 years on record.
That represents a change of down 2.4% on the previous year and down 21.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, prevalence of current tobacco use in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) peaked at 18.4% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 8.9%, in 2024.
That places Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 45th out of 46 groups with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
Prevalence of current tobacco use in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income), year by year
| Year | % of adults | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 18.4% | — |
| 2005 | 15.5% | -16.1% |
| 2007 | 14.5% | -6.5% |
| 2010 | 13.1% | -9.2% |
| 2015 | 11.3% | -13.8% |
| 2020 | 9.8% | -13.3% |
| 2022 | 9.4% | -4.7% |
| 2023 | 9.1% | -2.4% |
| 2024 | 8.9% | -2.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 16.1% | 14.5% | 18.4% | 3 |
| 2010s | 12.2% | 11.3% | 13.1% | 2 |
| 2020s | 9.3% | 8.9% | 9.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
More health data for Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)
- Population ages 50-54, male, annual growth rate 3.53 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, male, annual growth rate 3.59 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, female, per capita 0.0125 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, female, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 10-14, male, per capita 0.0617 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 55-59, female, annual growth rate 3.3 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 50-54, male, per capita 0.0147 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 50-54, male, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population ages 15-19, female, annual growth rate 2.62 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-19, female, per capita 0.054 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is prevalence of current tobacco use in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Prevalence of current tobacco use in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) was 8.9% in 2024, according to Global Health Observatory Data Repository, World Health Organization (WHO).
- What is the highest prevalence of current tobacco use recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The highest recorded value was 18.4% in 2000.
- What is the lowest prevalence of current tobacco use recorded in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- The lowest recorded value was 8.9% in 2024.
- How does Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) rank for prevalence of current tobacco use?
- Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) ranks 45th out of 46 groups with data for 2024.
- Is prevalence of current tobacco use rising or falling in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)?
- Over the last ten years it is down 21.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income) 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.