Country
El Salvador
El Salvador has made progress on tobacco control in recent years. However, people continue to die and become sick needlessly, and the costs to society from tobacco use continue to mount. El Salvador can still do more to make the proven tobacco control tools work for its citizens’ wellbeing.
Problemas
Tobacco harms the health, the treasury, and the spirit of El Salvador. Every year, more than 1700 of its people are killed by tobacco-caused disease. Still, more than 3000 children (10-14 years old) and 307000 adults (15+ years old) continue to use tobacco each day. Complacency in the face of the tobacco epidemic insulates the tobacco industry in El Salvador and ensures that tobacco's death toll will grow every year. Tobacco control advocates must reach out to other communities and resources to strengthen their efforts and create change.
Smoking Deaths

Adult Smoking (15+ Y.O.)
using tobacco daily: 2015
10.91%
Even though fewer men smoke on average in El Salvador than on average in medium-HDI countries, there are still more than 221400 men who smoke cigarettes each day, making it an ongoing and dire public health threat.
Children Smoking(10–14 Y.O.)
% using tobacco daily: 2015
0.87%
Even though fewer boys smoke in El Salvador than on average in medium-HDI countries, there are still more than 2600 boys who smoke cigarettes each day, making it an ongoing and dire public health threat.

Muertes
% caused by tobacco: 2016
4.86%
Even though fewer men die from tobacco in El Salvador than on average in medium-HDI countries, tobacco still kills 20 men every week, necessitating action from policymakers.

Adult Smoking (15+ Y.O.)
% using tobacco daily: 2015
3.51%
Even though fewer women smoke in El Salvador than on average in medium-HDI countries, there are still more than 86400 women who smoke cigarettes each day, making it an ongoing and dire public health threat.
Children Smoking (10–14 Y.O.)
% using tobacco daily: 2015
0.28%
Even though fewer girls smoke in El Salvador than on average in medium-HDI countries, there are still more than 800 girls who smoke cigarettes each day, making it sign of an ongoing and dire public health threat.

Muertes
% caused by tobacco: 2016
3.91%
Even though fewer women die from tobacco in El Salvador than on average in medium-HDI countries, tobacco still kills 13 women every week, necessitating action from policymakers.
Smokeless Tobacco
% using tobacco daily: 2013
n/a
n/a
Perjuicios sociales
The economic cost of smoking in El Salvador amounts to 40 million colon. This includes direct costs related to healthcare expenditures and indirect costs related to lost productivity due to early mortality and morbidity.
Tobacco Use Also...
Harms Development
Buying tobacco robs families of the resources they may need to rise out of poverty. A smoker in El Salvador would have to spend 8.4% of their average income (measured by per capita GDP) to purchase 10 of the most popular cigarettes to smoke daily each year!
Harms Development

Harms Environment
Cigarette butts are the most commonly discarded pieces of waste worldwide. It is estimated that 439 tonnes of butts and packs wind up as toxic trash in El Salvador each year. This is roughly equivalent to the weight of 88 endangered African elephants.
Harms Environment

Harms Equality
To appeal to more customers, the tobacco industry markets its products aggressively to women and children.
Harms Equality

Harms NCDs
People living with mental illness are nearly twice as likely to smoke as other individuals.
Harms NCDs

La industria
The combined revenues of the world's 6 largest tobacco companies in 2016 was more than USD 346 Billion, 1253% larger than the Gross National Income of El Salvador. The industry is a powerful force that does not fear the actions of nation-states because of their extensive resources and global market power.
Creciente
There were 1741 metric tons of tobacco produced in El Salvador in 2014. However, tobacco growing is only a small fraction of agriculture in El Salvador, with only 0.05% of agricultural land devoted to tobacco cultivation.
Production
n/a
Soluciones
Current Policy in El Salvador
Protect from Smoke
All public places completely smoke-free is the best practice
Antitobaco
n/a
HealthCare Facilities
n/a
Educational Facilities
n/a
Universities
n/a
Government Facilities
n/a
Indoor Offices
n/a
Restaurants
n/a
Pubs and Bars
n/a
Public Transport
n/a
All Other Indoor Public Places
n/a
Funds for Smokefree Enforcement
Offer Help
National quit line and both NRT and cessation-services cost-covered is the best practice
Warn About the Dangers to Tobacco Users on Product Packaging
A plain, standardized pack with a large health warning is the best practice

Warn About the Dangers to the Whole Population in a Media Campaign


Enforce Bans on Advertising
Ban on all forms of direct and indirect advertising is the best practice
Number of Direct Ad Bans
6/7
possible bans
Number of Indirect Ad Bans
6/10
possible bans
Ad Ban Compliance Percent
n/a
Direct Bans
- National TV and radio
- International TV and radio
- Local magazines and newspapers
- International magazines and newspapers
- Billboard and outdoor advertising
- Advertising at point of sale
- Advertising on internet
Indirect Bans
- Free distribution in mail or through other means
- Promotional discounts
- Non-tobacco products identified with tobacco brand names
- Brand name of non-tobacco products used for tobacco product
- Appearance in TV and/or films: tobacco brands (product placement)
- Appearance in TV and/or films: tobacco products
- Prescribed anti-tobacco ads required for any visual entertainment media product that depicts tobacco products, use or images
- Complete ban on sponsorship
- Any form of contribution (financial or other support) to any event, activity or individual
- Ban on the publicity of financial or other sponsorship or support by the tobacco industry of events, activities, individuals
Raise Taxes
Excise Tax as a % of Cigarette Price
WHO Benchmark
Minimum 70%
of Retail Price is Excise Tax
El Salvador
41.02%
of Retail Price is Excise Tax
