Tobacco, alcohol, sugary drinks: WHO urges countries to strengthen taxation to benefit health

Several emerging economies have undertaken significant reforms to their tobacco taxation in recent years. A new independent analysis of 15 countries shows that all have improved their cigarette taxation systems between 2009 and 2025. The most significant results are seen in countries that have substantially increased taxes, simplified their tax systems, and ensured that cigarettes do not gradually become more affordable as incomes rise. This analysis comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) encourages countries to use health taxation to raise the real prices of tobacco, alcohol, and sugary drinks by 2035. Its "3 by 35" initiative aims to reduce consumption of these products, which are linked to numerous non-communicable diseases, while generating revenue that can be used for health and development. According to the WHO, one-off, limited tax adjustments can be absorbed by inflation or circumvented by industry strategies. The organization therefore advocates regular and sufficiently large increases to gradually reduce the financial accessibility of tobacco, alcohol and sugary drinks.