Who said tobacco use could kill a billion people or more over the course of the 21st century “unless urgent action is taken.”

“If current trends continue, by 2030 tobacco will kill more than eight million people worldwide each year, with 80 percent of these premature deaths among people living in low- and middle-income countries,” it added.

Tobacco remains the biggest cause of preventable death worldwide, killing nearly six million people and costing hundreds of billions of dollars in economic damage each year, said Ala Alwan, WHO assistant director-general for noncommunicable diseases and mental health.