36% rise in number of male smokers in India since 1998: study

February 27, 2016 13:10

The number of men smoking tobacco in India rose by more than one-thirds to 108 million in 17 years, according to an alarming new study led by an Indian-origin researcher, which also found that cigarettes are replacing the traditional bidis.

The study found the number of men smoking any type of tobacco at ages 15-69 years rose by about 29 million, or 36 per cent, from 79 million in 1998 to 108 million in 2015, representing an average annual increase of about 1.7 million male smokers.

"In 2010 smoking caused about 1 million deaths or 10 per cent of all deaths in India, with about 70 per cent of those deaths occurring between the ages of 30 and 69, what should be the prime of their lives," said Prabhat Jha from University of Toronto who led the study.

The overall age adjusted smoking prevalence at ages 15-69 years declined modestly from 27 per cent in 1998 to 24 per cent in 2010 but total numbers rose due to population growth, researchers said.

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