{
  "id": 6396146,
  "title": "Some 2.7 billion people around the world exposed to secondhand smoke in 2023",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/09/some-2-7-billion-people-around-the-world-exposed-to-secondhand-smoke",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-09T07:14:45.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Ghana Business News",
    "slug": "ghana-business-news",
    "url": "https://www.ghanabusinessnews.com/2026/09/09/some-2-7-billion-people-around-the-world-exposed-to-secondhand-smoke-in-2023/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In 2023, approximately 2.7 billion individuals were exposed to secondhand smoke (SHS) worldwide, according to a study published in The Lancet Public Health journal. This figure comprised 1.49 billion women and 767 million children under the age of 15. Despite a decline in global exposure rates since 1990, the number of people affected has remained relatively stable. The study revealed that SHS contributed to 1.66 million deaths and 44.8 million Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) globally in 2023, continuing to pose a significant threat to health and premature mortality. Globally, exposure prevalence stood at 33.9 percent in 2023, peaking at 48.4 percent in Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Oceania. Women in certain countries faced nearly 1.8 times the exposure prevalence compared to men, with children accounting for over 12 percent of the health burden from SHS. Lower respiratory infections were the leading cause among children, while ischemic heart diseases accounted for 12.0 million DALYs, making it the primary contributor to SHS-related health loss in 2023. Sub-Saharan Africa experienced a nearly doubling of its exposure population since 1990, and North Africa and the Middle East saw a 72.1 percent increase. China, India, and Indonesia were responsible for nearly half of the world's exposed population, with 664 million, 444 million, and 142 million people exposed in 2023, respectively. The study emphasizes the critical need for broader implementation and consistent enforcement of tobacco control measures and voluntary smoking restrictions in homes and private vehicles to achieve lasting reductions in the global SHS burden. This marks the first dedicated Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study to evaluate SHS as a global risk factor across 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2023, delivering detailed estimates by age, sex, geography, and time.",
  "summary": "Nearly three billion people were exposed to secondhand smoke (SHS) globally in 2023, a study, published in the September 7 2026 edition of The Lancet Public Health journal has said. The post Some 2.7 billion people around the world exposed to secondhand smoke in 2023 appeared first on Ghana Business News .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}