Consumption
Health Consequences
Tobacco use is deadly. Smoking kills up to half of all lifetime users.
Tobacco industry
Eastern Company SAE is the sole manufacturer of cigarettes in the country and holds 83 percent of the total cigarette market. Philip Morris International (PMI) and British American Tobacco (BAT) both contract with Eastern Company SAE to produce PMI and BAT cigarettes. In 2008, PMI had 11.5 percent of the cigarette market and BAT had almost 5 percent. In 2008, over 75 billion cigarettes were sold in Egypt.
FCTC status
Egypt ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control on February 25, 2005.
Smoke-free environments: Egypt has a national ban on smoking in healthcare, educational and government facilities, however the law does not include restaurants and bars.
Advertising, promotion and sponsorship: Egypt bans most forms of advertising, promotion and sponsorship.
Warning labels: Warning labels are graphic and cover 50 percent of the front and 50 percent of the back of packs.
Tobacco taxes: Cigarettes are becoming more affordable in Egypt as prices aren’t keeping up with inflation. Tobacco taxes in Egypt are below the rate recommended by the World Bank (from 65 percent to 80 percent of retail price) that is commonly present in countries with effective tobacco control policies.
Egypt fights smoking with new tobacco tax
Associated Press
07 Jul 2010
Egyptian smokers find hard to quit despite tobacco prices hike
Xinhua Newswire
05 Jul 2010
New tax doubles price of tobacco in Egypt
The Independent
02 Jul 2010