- Full compliance with the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control would have a major effect on smoking rates, British tobacco control expert tells Anadolu

- Global framework commits governments to stronger action against ‘industrially produced tobacco epidemic,’ says US researcher

ISTANBUL 

In 2025, governments around the world moved anti-smoking laws beyond bars and offices, introducing measures that restrict tobacco use in outdoor public spaces, tighten access to nicotine products and aim to prevent younger generations from ever starting to smoke.

From the Maldives’ generational tobacco ban to France extending outdoor smoking restrictions, countries targeted visibility, accessibility and youth exposure, reflecting a broader shift in how public health authorities approach tobacco control.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), tobacco use causes more than 7 million deaths annually, including 1.6 million deaths among non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke.

The UN health agency says there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke.

Here is a rundown of countries that have taken notable steps in 2025 to impose or expand smoking restrictions.

Maldives - first nationwide generational tobacco ban

In November, the Maldives implemented a landmark law banning the purchase, sale and use of tobacco products for anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2007, becoming the first country to enforce a nationwide generational tobacco ban.

The measure permanently prevents an entire age group from legally accessing tobacco, rather than gradually raising the legal age. It applies to all tobacco products, including cigarettes and smokeless tobacco.

The measure applies to tourists and residents alike – no one born in or after 2007 can legally smoke or be sold tobacco in the Maldives. The government says there will be heavy fines for violations.

The Maldives also maintains a total ban, including for adults, on the import, sale and use of e-cigarettes and vaping products.

Belgium - disposable vape sales ban

Belgium banned the sale of disposable vapes at the start of the year, citing concerns over youth nicotine use and environmental waste.

The move makes Belgium the first EU country to prohibit single-use vaping products.

France - expanded outdoor smoking bans

From July 1, France extended smoking bans to outdoor areas frequently used by children, including beaches, public parks, gardens, bus shelters and sports venues. Smoking is also prohibited within 10 meters (32 feet) of schools, libraries and playgrounds.

Violators face fines ranging from €135 to €158 ($159 to $186).

This policy marks a step toward denormalizing smoking in everyday life, focusing on reducing secondhand smoke exposure for children and restricting the social visibility of smoking.

Cafe terraces and some adult outdoor spaces are currently exempt, though public health advocates are calling for further restrictions.

Mexico - crackdown on vape sales

On Dec. 11, Mexico’s Senate approved reforms proposing prison sentences of up to eight years for offenses related to the manufacture, distribution or sale of vaping products.

While personal use is not criminalized, the measures represent one of the strictest penalties targeting the vape supply chain and are aimed at preventing youth access to nicotine products.

The reforms still require presidential approval and publication to take effect.

Citywide outdoor smoking ban in Milan

Beginning Jan. 1, the Italian city of Milan extended smoking restrictions to nearly all outdoor public spaces, including streets, squares and outdoor cafe areas.

Local officials said the measure is part of broader efforts to improve air quality and protect public health in a city long affected by urban pollution.

Smokers must keep at least 10 meters (32 feet) away from others or face fines ranging from €40 ($47) to €240 ($282).

The ban applies to tobacco products only, with e-cigarettes and vapes currently exempt.

Some residents have welcomed cleaner air and reduced secondhand smoke, while others question enforcement practicality and whether outdoor cigarettes significantly impact pollution levels.

Protecting non-smokers

Judith Mackay, a British physician and tobacco control advocate, told Anadolu that smoking laws are intended primarily to protect non-smokers, rather than prohibit smoking entirely.

"There’s no law that’s saying people can’t smoke. It’s just a matter of where they smoke," Mackay said.

Mackay said the tobacco industry’s strong opposition to new restrictions often signals their effectiveness, a concept known among public health advocates as the “scream test.” The term refers to the idea that the more intensely the tobacco industry lobbies against a proposed measure, the more likely it is to reduce tobacco use.

She stressed that strong laws must be fully enforced, urging governments to comply with all provisions of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

Adopted in 2003 and in force since 2005, the treaty is the first global public health agreement negotiated under the WHO. It has been ratified by 183 countries and seeks to reduce both the demand for and supply of tobacco through evidence-based measures.

If the states are "to fully implement all the clauses" enshrined in the treaty, "it would have a major effect on smoking rates," Mackay said.

Ruth Malone, a US tobacco industry researcher and professor, said the framework helps governments take stronger action against “the industrially-produced tobacco epidemic.”

Still a powerful industry

Tobacco companies remain politically powerful, Malone said, meaning they exert influence through lobbying, campaign financing and public messaging to resist regulation.

She said tobacco control efforts aim to stop the industry from recruiting new users and to make it easier for people to quit by reducing the visibility of tobacco in daily life.

"The effort is to preserve people’s freedom from being addicted to products that will kill them when used as intended," she added.

Both Mackay and Malone said growing public awareness of tobacco’s health risks has helped drive stricter laws worldwide.

The tobacco control movement has also been challenging the tobacco industry for decades, contributing to a steady global decline in tobacco use, Malone noted.

On vaping, the experts agreed that while e-cigarettes are often described as safer than cigarettes, their long-term health effects remain unclear.

What lies ahead?

According to a 2025 WHO report, global tobacco use declined from 26.2% in 2010 to 19.5% in 2024, and the agency expects the trend to continue.

However, more than 100 million people worldwide now vape, including at least 15 million adolescents aged 13 to 15.

Europe has the highest prevalence of smokers, followed by the Western Pacific, while Africa has the lowest prevalence.

Malone said the opposition to tobacco control measures is "virtually always" coordinated and financed by tobacco companies and other allied interests, a pattern documented in millions of internal industry records, extensive academic research and numerous investigations.

"The industry is now once again trying to reinvent itself as the solution to the problem it has caused and continues to cause," she cautioned.

As 2026 unfolds, the WHO says its European Programme of Work for 2026–2030 aims to strengthen collective action against tobacco-related noncommunicable diseases, with a renewed focus on fuller implementation of the FCTC through measures such as higher tobacco taxes, graphic health warnings and stronger protections for young people.

At the global level, the WHO’s extended Global Strategy to Accelerate Tobacco Control — building on the 20-year milestone marked at COP11 — emphasizes sustainable funding and tougher efforts to counter industry interference, projecting that global tobacco prevalence could fall below 18% by 2027 if current trends continue.