Tobacco Consumption
- 7.9 percent of adults (age 15+) in Uganda use tobacco products.1
- Rates are higher among men than among women: 11.6 percent of men and 4.6 percent of women use tobacco products.1
- 5.8 percent of adults (age 15+) smoke tobacco and 2.4 percent use smokeless tobacco.1
- Among youth (ages 13-15), 17.3 percent use tobacco products (boys 19.3 percent and girls 15.8 percent):
- 4.8 percent smoke cigarettes (boys 5.0 percent and girls 4.7 percent), and 10.0 percent use smokeless tobacco (boys 11.5 percent and girls 9.0 percent).2
Secondhand Smoke Exposure
- 20.4 percent of adults who work indoors (0.5 million) are exposed to secondhand smoke in their workplace; 16 percent are exposed in restaurants, and 7.8 percent are exposed in public transportation.1
- Among youth (ages 13-15), 26.3 percent are exposed to secondhand smoke in public places and almost 21.6 percent are exposed at home.2
Health Consequences
- Every year more than 9,650 Ugandans die from smoking related causes3
- Even though fewer men and women die on average in Uganda than in other low-income countries, 124 men and 62 women are killed from smoking every week.3
Tobacco Industry
British American Tobacco Uganda has a near-monopoly on the tobacco market in the country with 80 percent share of the cigarettes market and 70 percent of tobacco production.
FCTC Status
Uganda ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control on June 20, 2007. The treaty went into effect on September 18, 2007.
Tobacco Control Policy Status
For information regarding smoke-free places, advertising and promotion, packaging and labeling, visit Tobacco Control Laws website.
1 Global Adults Tobacco Survey, 2013.
2 Global Youth Tobacco Survey, 2011; National.
3 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2015. Seattle, WA: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), University of Washington, 2017
Last updated Aug. 31, 2017