Smoking in China to Continue Demand for Cancer and Respiratory Disease MedTech

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently released the “Global Adult Tobacco Survey.” It includes statistics on smoking in China that represent the entire country. The study indicates that smoking among men in China (regardless of age) continue to occur at very high rates. Over 52% of all men currently smoke in China. Smoking among women, on the other hand, is very low; only 2.4% of women in China smoke. With so many men in China smoking, Western drugs and medical devices for treating these conditions will continue to be in high demand for the foreseeable future.

If over 52% of all men in China are smoking, one conclusion is that at least 1 in every 4 people is a smoker. In other words, over 300 million people out of 1.3 billion in China are smoking. Even more are exposed to second hand smoke. All of these people have a high risk of developing lung cancer, liver cancer, stomach cancer, esophageal cancer, or other forms of cancer. Additionally, they are at risk for respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and coronary heart disease are also occurring at high rates because of smoking. Every year, over 600,000 deaths out of approximately nine million in China are caused by one of these conditions that originated from smoking.

This survey on smokers in China also factored in age. Studies illustrate how smokers between the age of 15 and 24 are likely to remain smokers forever. The Global Adult Tobacco Survey found that 33.6% of men in China and 0.7% of women in China in this age group are currently smokers. This high percentage of young smoking men in China can also be seen as an indicator for continued smoking (and hence, chronic conditions caused by smoking) in China’s future.