Afghanistan

Country profile

The latest data from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that the crude prevalence of tobacco smoking in Afghanistan in 2022 stands at 9.2 percent, with rates of 16.6 percent among males and 1.8 percent among females, respectively [1]. This results in 15,799 annual deaths attributed to tobacco smoking. In 2019, 6 percent of all deaths in the country were linked to tobacco smoking [2].

References

Fast Facts

Marketing Status

There are no specific marketing activities in the markets of Afghanistan for safer nicotine alternative products.

Laws and regulations

There are no specific laws and regulations to regulate safer nicotine alternative products, e-cigarettes and snus. 

Availability of vapes

Vapes and e-cigarettes are not easily available in the Afghan market. E-cigarettes are not popular among ordinary people.

Availability of snus

Snus is seldom available in the market in Afghanistan.

Smoke-free policy

There are no specific smoke-free policies in the country.

THR polices

There are no specific THR policies in the country; THR Afghanistan is the first initiative on the ground.

Our Team

Attaullah Ahmadi

Founder and Director

Attaullah Ahmadi holds a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree from Kabul University of Medical Sciences and a Master of Public Health (MPH) specializing in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from EHESP – French School of Public Health. He is the founder and director of THR Afghanistan. In recognition of his commitment to improving smokers’ health through innovative and practical strategies, he received the Tobacco Harm Reduction Scholarship in 2021, awarded by Knowledge Action Change, UK.

Attaullah established THR Afghanistan, building a dedicated team focused on improving smokers’ health by raising awareness, training healthcare workers, and conducting research on THR. He serves as a researcher at Global Health Focus, an international organization dedicated to achieving health equity through research and leadership initiatives. He is also a member of the Editorial Board of Public Health Challenges, a Wiley peer-reviewed, Scopus-indexed journal.

Previously, Attaullah served as the Director of Research for Asia at Global Health Focus and as a Research Associate at the Medical Research Center of Kateb University. He is passionate about public health research, epidemiology, biostatistics, and data analysis. He has published peer-reviewed scientific papers on various health topics across multiple countries including Afghanistan, shedding light on critical health challenges to inform evidence-based decision-making. 

Research and Content Manager

Ali Rahimi

Legal Advisor & Social Media Officer

Hamidullah Ahmadi

Research and Content Advisor

Mohammad Faisal Wardak

Research and Content Advisor

Shekiba Madadi