Approximately 70% of Indonesian males aged 15 and older smoke tobacco, making it one of the highest smoking rates for men worldwide. Photo credit: Cottonbro Studio, Pexels.
The Indonesian Health Survey (SKI) 2023 reports that the smoking rate among those aged 10-18 in Indonesia dropped to 7.4% in 2023, a decrease from 9.1% noted in the 2018 Basic Health Research (Riskesdas).
During a recent media briefing, Eva Susanti, director of non-communicable disease prevention and control at the Health Ministry, remarked that the current smoking rate is still above the 7.2% prevalence observed in 2013 and the 5.4% target outlined in the 2015-2019 National Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJMN).
She also pointed out a shift among children from conventional cigarettes to electronic ones. The survey indicates that the use of e-cigarettes rose from 0.06% in 2018 to 0.13% in 2023. The most common age range for starting smoking is 15-19 years, accounting for 56.5%, followed by the 10-14 age range at 18.4%.
The Health Ministry is ramping up efforts to prevent smoking among children. Measures include banning the use of tobacco and e-cigarettes by children and pregnant women, prohibiting tobacco advertising on social media, and outlawing the sale of single cigarettes.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 70% of Indonesian males aged 15 and older smoke tobacco, one of the highest rates globally for men. In contrast, about 2% of Indonesian females in the same age group are smokers. Indonesia is among only six countries experiencing increasing rates of tobacco use, based on WHO research. It is also one of the 13 countries worldwide, and the only one in Asia, that has not signed the WHO's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.