Ref: World Health Organization (WHO)
 

According to WHO estimates, there are currently 4 million deaths a year from tobacco, a figure expected to rise to about 10 million by the 2020s or early 2030s. By that date, based on current smoking trends, tobacco is predicted to be the leading cause of disease burden in the world, causing about one in eight deaths. 70% of those deaths will occur in developing countries. The sheer scale of tobacco's impact on global disease burden, and particularly what is likely to happen without appropriate intervention in developing countries, is often not fully appreciated. The extremely negative impact of tobacco on health now and in the future is the primary reason for giving explicit and strong support to tobacco control on a world-wide basis.