Tobacco consumption in Bangladesh has dropped to 35.3 percent from 43.3 in 2009, says the government.
There are currently 37.8 million tobacco users in the country. In 2009, the number was 41.3 million in 2009.
Additional Health Secretary Habibur Rahman revealed the statistics during a media briefing on Tuesday (Feb 19).
“If the relative reduction is taken into account in the last eight years from 2009 to 2017, tobacco consumption has dropped by 18.5 percentage points,” Rahman said.
He added initiatives have been taken to ensure that a 30 second TV spot featuring the dangerous effects of tobacco will be aired in all the channels.
Rahman said that the awareness advertisement will be aired 5,000 times in the upcoming six weeks starting Tuesday.