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Smoking in Sudan: lower than you'd guess, and complicated

التدخين في السودان: أقل مما تظن وأكثر تعقيداً

2026-07-26

WHO survey data puts adult tobacco smoking in Sudan around 10 percent, far below Jordan or Lebanon, where a third of adults smoke. Almost all of it is men; female smoking rates are among the lowest measured anywhere.

Cigarettes are only half the story, though. Toombak, the local oral snuff, is widely used and carries its own serious health risks, especially oral cancers. It rarely shows up in the smoking statistic.

So read our smoking column for what it is: smoked tobacco. The full tobacco picture in Sudan is larger and harder to measure.