SMOKING

Estimates indicate that tobacco consumption costs US $1.4-billion per year in healthcare and loss of productivity costs due to illness and premature death.

The alarming statistics associated with smoking indicate that tobacco use is responsible for causing or worsening six of the eight leading causes of death in the world. Furthermore, 12% of all deaths in individuals over 30 years of age are due to tobacco consumption.

One of the key points on the World Health Organization’s 2030 agenda for sustainable development is getting smoking under control. This agenda includes the full implementation of the WHO global tobacco control policy plan, which began more than ten years ago.

Currently, around two thirds of all countries—which make up 63% of the world’s population—have implemented at least one control measure at maximum execution level, which reveals the unified effort from the entire world to eradicate this problem.

In the life insurance market, smoking also has a price, since premiums are higher for smokers. This is due to certain risk factors in customers who smoke. Insurance premiums will be higher in cases of chronic smoking; health complications due to smoking, such as chronic pulmonary obstruction; and in cases where smoking exacerbates other health problems.

Source: World Health Organization, WHO Report on the Global Tobacco Epidemic, 2017: Monitoring tobacco use and prevention policies.