Kuwait records highest male smoking rate among GCC countries at 41%
Statistics reveal that 41 percent of men in Kuwait smoke, the highest rate among Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, compared to 35 percent in the UAE and 33 percent in Bahrain.
This data was presented by Dr. Amani Al-Basmi, Head of the Epidemiology and Cancer Registry Unit at the Kuwait Cancer Control Center, during a workshop organized by the National Cancer Awareness Campaign (CAN) as part of the “Pink Lifeline” campaign, supported by the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation and its subsidiaries.
The workshop focused on “The Relationship Between Smoking and Breast Cancer.”
Dr. Al-Basmi highlighted that globally, one billion people smoke, leading to 8.9 million deaths annually, including 1.3 million from secondhand smoke. She emphasized that smoking is responsible for 55.7 to 78.8 percent of lung cancer cases among men in the GCC.
She also noted that breast cancer had the highest incidence in the Middle East and North Africa in 2022, with 49 cases per 100,000 people, and the highest mortality rate at 16.6 cases per 100,000.
Dr. Khaled Al-Saleh, Chairman of the Kuwait Society for Combating Smoking and Cancer and Head of the “Kan” Campaign, stressed that regional cooperation is essential to raise awareness about the dangers of smoking and chronic diseases, highlighting the importance of joint efforts to combat rising cancer rates.
Dr. Hessa Al-Shaheen pointed to high smoking rates among women in the Arab world, explaining that smoking increases the risk of breast, lung, and cervical cancers and negatively affects fertility. She added that the association has launched free smoking cessation clinics at its headquarters and at Kuwait University.
Dr. Ahmed Saad Al-Saleh, Senior Registrar of Surgical Oncology, explained that women exposed to secondhand smoke have a 24 percent higher risk of developing breast cancer, and that smoking more than 40 cigarettes a day doubles the risk. He also warned that hookah and e-cigarettes carry similar risks, and that the danger decreases gradually after quitting.
Dr. Hiam El-Nemr, a surgical consultant at Cairo University Hospitals, emphasized that cigarettes contain over 96 carcinogenic substances, including nicotine and radioactive compounds. She noted that smoking weakens the immune system and increases chronic inflammation, both of which raise the risk of breast cancer.
The workshop highlighted the urgent need for awareness campaigns and preventive measures to reduce smoking rates and protect public health in Kuwait and the wider GCC region.
