An area chart showing deaths from smoking and secondhand smoke worldwide from 1990 to 2023, with deaths from smoking significantly higher than secondhand smoke but both showing a general upward trend.

An area chart depicting the global annual deaths from direct smoking (blue area) and secondhand smoke (red area) from 1990 to 2023. The chart shows an increasing trend for both categories, with direct smoking accounting for a larger portion of deaths.

Deaths from smoking and secondhand smoke, World Annual number of deaths from smoking (direct) and secondhand smoke (also termed 'passive smoking', which is the inhalation of smoke by someone other than the "active" smoker). Our World in Data 8 million 7 million Secondhand smoke 6 million 5 million Smoking 4 million 3 million 2 million 1 million 0 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2023 Data source: IHME, Global Burden of Disease (2025) OurWorldInData.org/smoking | CC BY