Egypt remains largest tobacco market in Arab world depsite steps to reduce smoking

The Egyptian government has recently taken serious measures to reduce smoking. However, the country is still the largest tobacco market in the Arab world, and has one of the top 10 per capita cigarette consumption.

Last year, an Egyptian study revealed that 24.4 percent of Egypt's 90 million populations are smokers, one of the highest in the world.

According to the study, smoking was one of the main reasons of deaths in the country, adding that 46 percent of adult men in Egypt are smokers, while the number of female smokers is one the rise.

In July last year, the government has raised sales tax on cigarettes by 50 percent. Under the decree, prices of local cigarettes went up by an average of 22 percent.