Tobacco Boom
Out of the 6.8 billion people on this planet, a whopping 1.1 billion consider themselves smokers. And despite what the Surgeon General wants you to believe, that number is rapidly growing. By 2025, an estimated 1.6 billion will be smokers — a 45% increase. Once you drill down to specifics, these stats are even more shocking.The World Bank estimates that between 82,000–99,000 young people start smoking every day — roughly 85% from mid- or low-income countries, specifically in Asia.Unfortunately, this trend isn’t likely to slow down in the foreseeable future. As emerging economies around the world begin to see an expanded middle class, tobacco use skyrockets. Read more