World Health Organization

2010

The burden of tobacco across the WHO European Region is tremendous, and it is a powerful factor in health disparities among socioeconomic groups and gender. World Bank studies of household disposable income estimate that approximately 10% of income in the poorest households containing at least one smoker goes to tobacco – money that is not necessarily available for essentials such as education and health care.
Furthermore, among all the WHO Regions, the difference between male and female prevalence is among the smallest in the WHO European Region, and the gap is closing rapidly, especially among women in the east of the Region and girls, as shown in the Global Youth Tobacco Survey.