Smoking is a bigger killer in Nepal than in any other South Asian country, according to a new research published today by the Nepal Development Research Institute (NDRI).  The research shows that over 37,000 Nepalis died from smoking in 2019 – that’s nearly one in five (19.4%) of all deaths, twice the rate in 1990 and well ahead of India where just 13.1% of deaths are caused by tobacco. And the rate of death from tobacco has increased more in Nepal in the last 30 years than in any other country in the world.  According to the NDRI’s new report Health Impact of Tobacco in Nepal, at current rates around 1.34 million Nepalis will die from smoking in the next 30 years.

 Publishing the report at today’s second National Health Summit conference in Kathmandu, NDRI General Secretary Dr Jaya Gurung is asking politicians of all parties to recognize the scale of this slow-burn health crisis by pledging to take action to stem the tide of deaths.

 Dr Gurung said: “This research should be a wake-up call for us. Far too many Nepalis are dying every year because of smoking. We are becoming an outlier in South Asia and around the world, and that should shame us into action.  Every death from smoking is an avoidable tragedy. But in Nepal, we could be doing so much more to lower the numbers of dead. That’s why we’re calling on all politicians to show they understand the scale of this problem and pledge to do something about it.”  NDRI, together with the Nepal Cancer Relief Society, the National Medical Association, Annuapurna Media Network and Yuwa, are calling for politicians commit to tackling tobacco. The coalition has a four-point plan to stop Nepal’s smoking epidemic in its tracks. It is asking politicians to sign a pledge to:  • Match the levels of tobacco taxation in India by 2025

 The NDRI’s new report comes with the endorsement of Bhawani Prasad Khapung, Minister for Health and Population.