World No Tobacco Day: Sweden proves tobacco harm reduction works
On World No Tobacco Day, Smoke Free Sweden urges global policymakers to adopt Sweden’s successful tobacco harm reduction strategies that have virtually wiped out smoking.
Sweden’s policies built around safer smokeless alternatives have saved thousands of lives, contrasting sharply with moves in countries like Spain and France that are planning to restrict access to reduced-risk nicotine products.
Sweden’s progress towards smoke-free status, defined as less than 5% of the adult population smoking, is a public health victory. Government statistics released in November 2024 show that smoking prevalence among Swedish-born adults has fallen to just 4.5%. At the same time the Swedish Parliament has shifted its national tobacco control focus from reducing tobacco use to actively reducing tobacco harm.
This balanced approach required creating the conditions for safer nicotine alternatives, such as snus, nicotine pouches and vaping products, to be accessible, affordable and socially acceptable. As a result, Sweden has seen its smoking rate plummet by more than half since 2012. This figure contrasts with all other European Union countries, where smoking rates are, on average, five times higher than in Sweden.
The public health dividends for Sweden are significant. The country experiences dramatically lower rates of smoking-related diseases. Sweden’s male lung cancer death rate is 61% lower than the European average. Its rate of total cancer deaths is 34% lower than the EU average.
“If you want proof that evidence-based policy works against smoking, just examine Sweden’s results,” said Dr. Delon Human, a global public health advocate and leader of Smoke Free Sweden.
”We urge governments worldwide, particularly those currently moving to restrict access to safer alternatives, to look closely at Sweden. The Swedish experience is the result of people-focused, science-based decisions that have saved and continue to save, countless lives.
“The question for other nations is no longer if tobacco harm reduction works, but why they are not implementing it.”
Research shows that if every EU country adopted Sweden’s policies, approximately 355,000 lives could be saved each year across the EU. This represents more than 3.5 million lives over a decade.
Smoke Free Sweden’s call to action is further supported by the findings of an extensive global consultation, detailed in the report, “Learnings from Smoke-Free Sweden: A Global Consultation.” This report compiles insights and recommendations from numerous international experts, including doctors, academic researchers, dentists and psychologists. These experts collectively endorse Sweden’s approach, calling for policymakers to:
1. Recognise and differentiate the risk levels between combustible cigarettes and safer nicotine products.
2. Ensure that safer alternatives are accessible, acceptable and affordable to adult smokers.
3. Implement accurate risk communication to enable informed choices.
As Sweden pulls ahead of its peers, ideological opposition to harm reduction in other regions threatens public health. Restricting or banning less harmful alternatives, as seen in recent policy proposals in Spain and France, risks leaving smokers without viable options to quit combustible tobacco, the most dangerous form of nicotine consumption.
On this World No Tobacco Day, the message from Sweden is clear: a smoke-free future is achievable. It requires courage, a commitment to science and a willingness to welcome innovation in health policy.
“Learnings from Smoke-Free Sweden: A Global Consultation” Report: The full report can be accessed here. This report details the key components of the Swedish model and provides policy recommendations based on expert consultations.