Smoking in Lebanon

The trend in current smoking prevalence in the general population in the Lebanon has been slightly downwards, driven by women's reducing smoking rates. In 2000 the prevalence was estimated to be 36.5%; this decreased to 33% in 2015, with a projection to stay at roughly the same level by 2025. The prevalence for men's smoking increased from just under 40% to just over 40% between 2000 and 2015, and is projected to increase further to over 42% by 2025 according to WHO trend data. Women's smoking during the same period decreased from 33% in 2000, to 26% in 2015, and is projected to decrease further to 25% by 2025. The WHO published prevalence trend estimates in tobacco smoking, as shown here, in their 2018 2nd edition report, which show slightly different smoking prevalence to the WHO country profiles. Data for the estimates are not age standardised, and were obtained from WHO databases. The trend lines are projections, not predictions, of future attainment. A projection indicates a likely endpoint if the country maintains its tobacco control efforts at the same level that it has implemented them to date. Therefore the impact of recent interventions could alter the expected endpoint shown in the projection. While the methods of estimation used in the first and second editions of the WHO report are the same, the volume of data available for the second edition is larger i.e. 200 more national surveys. The results presented are therefore more robust.