This yearly celebration informs the public on the dangers of using tobacco, the business practices of tobacco companies, what WHO is doing to fight the tobacco epidemic, and what people around the world can do to claim their right to health and healthy living and to protect future generations.

The Member States of the World Health Organization created World No Tobacco Day in 1987 to draw global attention to the tobacco epidemic and the preventable death and disease it causes. In 1987, the World Health Assembly passed Resolution WHA40.38, calling for 7 April 1988 to be a "a world no-smoking day." In 1988, Resolution WHA42.19 was passed, calling for the celebration of World No Tobacco Day, every year on 31 May.

In a time when more light is being shed on the importance of health, it is instrumental to take a look at where the world stands when it comes to smoking.

 It is reported that there were about 1.3 billion tobacco smokers worldwide in 2020, and it is quite obvious that the tobacco use has reached epidemic magnitudes. However, despite the fact that around 8 million die each year because of tobacco, more smoking related products are still being rolled out. And with many alternatives introduced to the market, what does the future hold for the conventional tobacco smokers?

The use of e-cigarettes and alternatives like IQOS might be posing a threat to conventional smoking.  However, despite the fact that many experts are still researching the impact of using IQOS, there has been an evident shift in consumer behavior once IQOS was introduced to the market. It is reported that by the end of 2020, there were about 18M IQOS users worldwide, 72% of which were already smokers who have switched to IQOS. 

Some tobacco companies report a significant decline in conventional smoking across several different countries that can potentially suggest that the tobacco industry has to shift its focus away from conventional products. 

It has also been reported that the number of smokers among US citizens has reached an all time low in 2018, in which it reached about 13.7%.

On the other hand, e-cigarettes witnessed an increase from 2.8% to 3.2% in 2018. According to research, the global e-cigarettes market value is expected to reach 45 B by 2026, after having a value of about 14 B in 2019. If such a trend continues to develop over the years then there is a possibility for new alternative methods to drive conventional smoking to its end. 

To this end the optimistic theme of the World No Tobacco Day for 2021 is “Commit to Quit.”