Harmful Smoking Facts

1. There are 1.1 billion smokers in the world today, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). If the trend continues, that number is expected to increase to 1.6 billion by the year 2025.
2. Tobacco kills more than six million people each year, translating to one smoking-related death every five seconds. That is a million more deaths than occurs each year as a result of HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria combined.
3. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 37.8 million smokers in the United States in 2016.
4. Over 16 million Americans are currently living with a tobacco-related disease, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD).
5. Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia are eight states where at least 21.8 percent of adults are smokers. Of these, West Virginia leads the pack, wherein one of every four adults is a current smoker.
6. More than 480,000 Americans die each year of smoking, accounting for one of every five deaths.
7. On average, smoking will cut 13 years from your life expectancy. If you have HIV, that number will increase to 16 years.
8. Lung cancer is not the only malignancy you can get from smoking. Others include cancer of the bladder, blood, bone marrow, cervix, colon, esophagus, kidneys, larynx, liver, mouth, pancreas, rectum, stomach, and throat.
9. In addition to cancer, smoking can increase your risk of coronary heart disease and stroke by anywhere from 200 percent to 400 percent.
10. Smoking is a problem that hits poorer people hardest. In fact, 80 percent of the world's smokers live in low- to medium-income countries. Even in the U.S., 24.3 percent of people living below the poverty line are smokers compared to 14.3 percent of those living above the poverty line.