Tobacco use in Bangladesh is placing a huge economic burden on the country as the associated health-related expenses, productivity losses and environmental damage are mounting.
Updated findings presented at a dissemination event, organised by the Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC), shows the losses stood at Tk87,500 crore in 2024.
This is more than double the total tax revenue from tobacco, which was Tk40,000 crore.
Two major pieces of evidence were presented at the event. The first was an updated national estimate of the economic burden of tobacco use while the second was a PPRC-led assessment of tobacco sales and marketing around schools.
Together, the studies reveal how severe the economic losses from tobacco have become for the country and how deeply tobacco has penetrated children’s environments.
Tobacco use is a major public health issue, causing 87 lakh deaths around the world each year, according to Global Atlas 2025.
In Bangladesh, it is responsible for 130,000 deaths annually. A WHO survey in 2023 shows, that more than one-third of the population aged above 15 use some form of tobacco.
Researchers from the Institute of Health Economics at the University of Dhaka revealed that the total cost includes more than Tk73,000 crore in health-related expenses, Tk42,000 crore in productivity losses and Tk14,525 crore in environmental damages.
Environmental damage alone accounts for 16 per cent of total costs, with the loss of marine ecosystems due to waste leakage representing a large portion of the total.
The research also shows that household out of pocket medical expenses on routine medicines and impatient care makes up a significant share of the financial burden.
Chairing the event, Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman, executive chairman of the PPRC, said stronger reforms and a more effective tobacco tax structure are essential for reducing tobacco consumption and addressing long-term health and economic vulnerabilities.
Annual progress tracking is also needed so that policy commitments translate into visible change on the ground, he added.
The PPRC also presented a second study examining tobacco sales and marketing near schools. Conducted across 121 schools in Dhaka, Chattogram, Rajshahi and Khulna. The survey uncovered 666 tobacco sales points located within walking distance from schools.
On average, each school had 5.5 points of sale within a mapped 100-meter radius – 5.6 in urban areas and 5.3 in rural areas.
Small grocery stores made up the largest share of these, contributing 38 per cent, followed by tea stalls and street vendors.
About 99.2 per cent of the sales points sold lose cigarettes, making them highly affordable to school-going children and adolescents in all divisions.
Around seven in every 10 sales points displayed tobacco products openly, 88 per cent at a eye level and 65.6 per cent positioned tobacco products directly beside chocolates, sweets and toys.
Also, 15.8 per cent allowed customers to directly pick up cigarette packs and 13 per cent used branded display stands. Chattogram had the highest visibility of tobacco products with 88.3 per cent, while Dhaka had the lowest with 62.2 per cent.
Sikder Md Anowarul Islam, associate professor at the Tagore University of Creative Arts, said the routine exposure to cigarettes near schools normalises their consumption.
Additionally, 68 per cent of sales points carried visible advertisements in the form of dummy packs, price lists, stickers, posters and branded promotional materials.
Regarding this, Prof Dr Sharmeen Yasmeen, head of community medicine and public health at Bangladesh Medical College, said the pervasive exposure of school goers to tobacco represents a direct threat to adolescent wellbeing.
The two studies demonstrate an urgent need to update and strengthen Bangladesh’s tobacco control law. The widespread exposure of children to tobacco near schools, together with the heavy economic and environmental costs, shows that current measures fall short.
According to experts, stronger legal provisions and better enforcement, including restrictions on advertising, single stick sales and flavoured cigarettes, are essential to protect young people and reduce the burden.
Barrister Jewel Sarkar of the Supreme Court pointed out that judicial sensitisation remains a major gap. He explained that courts often do not prioritise tobacco related offences because they are not fully aware of the gravity of the problem.
Md Mostafizur Rahman, former Chairman of Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation, said the government is already amending the relevant laws.
