Indonesia, known for its high prevalence of smoking, is among the countries with the highest tobacco consumption in the world. Tobacco consumption results in 225 700 deaths annually, with 967 women dying of tobacco-related causes every week as reported in the Tobacco Atlas Sixth Edition. The report further revealed that 21.4% more Indonesian men died than the average rate for medium Human Development Index countries in 2016. The National Socioeconomic Survey and the Basic Health Research show a significant increase in smoking prevalence among those ≥15 years old from 27% in 1995 to 36.3% in 2013.2 3 Although the most recent data showed a decrease in the prevalence of tobacco consumption to 33.8% in 2018, it does not imply a meaningful decrease, especially as the smoking prevalence among those aged 10–18 years old increased from 7.2% in 2013 to 9.1% in 2018. If no policy changes related to tobacco products and smoking behaviour are constitutionalised, WHO projected that the smoking prevalence in Indonesia would reach 45% by the year 2025.
