Countries tighten smoking laws worldwide in 2025

Governments around the world intensified anti-smoking measures in 2025, extending restrictions beyond indoor spaces to outdoor public areas, tightening access to nicotine products and aiming to prevent younger generations from ever starting to smoke. The shift reflects a broader public health strategy focused on reducing visibility, accessibility and youth exposure to tobacco.

Notable steps included the Maldives becoming the first country to introduce a nationwide generational tobacco ban, permanently prohibiting anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2007 from purchasing or using tobacco. France expanded outdoor smoking bans to beaches, parks and areas near schools, while Milan imposed near-total outdoor smoking restrictions across the city. Belgium banned the sale of disposable vapes, and Mexico approved legislation proposing severe prison sentences for offenses related to the vape supply chain.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says tobacco use kills more than 7 million people each year and stresses that there is no safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke. Public health experts say the latest measures are designed primarily to protect non-smokers and reduce youth addiction, rather than ban smoking outright. Despite strong opposition from the tobacco industry, global smoking rates continue to decline, with the WHO projecting further reductions if current policies are fully enforced.