Households Spend EGP 12,900 Annually on Smoking

According to the 2023/2024 Income and Expenditure Survey by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), Egyptian households spend an average of EGP 12,900 annually on smoking. The survey indicates that while wealthier families allocate more money to smoking in absolute terms, poorer households bear a heavier relative burden. In the lowest-income households, smoking expenses accounted for 10.2% of income, compared to 9.2% for the highest-income households.

The survey also found that 33.5% of Egyptian households have at least one smoker, exposing approximately 26 million non-smokers—primarily women and children—to secondhand smoke. The highest smoking rates were observed in the 35–44 age group at 19.2%, followed by the 45–54 age group at 18.5%, and the 25–34 age group at 17%.

CAPMAS estimates that 14.2% of Egyptians aged 15 and above—about 10.3 million people—are smokers, a decrease from 17% in 2021/2022. Despite this decline, tobacco remains a leading global cause of death, with over 8 million deaths annually, disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income nations.