Tobacco use is going down globally, but not as much as hoped, the WHO says

This picture taken on Oct. 31, 2023, shows a man smoking a cigarette in Sundbyberg, near Stockholm, Sweden. The WHO has issued a new report on global tobacco use, finding rates are going down. (Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images)

Tobacco use rates around the world are falling, but not as much as hoped, according to a new report on global tobacco use by the World Health Organization.

In 2022, there were about 1.25 billion tobacco users ages 15 and older. That number is down from 1.36 billion in 2000, even as the world population has risen.