DEVELOPMENT OF CIGARETTE CONSUMPTION IN ASIA
over the past two decades, ranked in order
of fastest increase
  CIGARETTES SMOKED PER PERSON AGE 15 OR OLDER

             1970-72             1980-82
             cigarettes  *rank   cigarettes  *rank
             per year            per year
Country
China         730         72      1,290       56
Indonesia     500         83        950       72
South Korea 2,370         20      2,750       15
Bangladesh    510         81        630       82
India       1,010         62      1,310       55
Japan       2,950         12      3,430        5
Thailand      810         69      1,080       66
Malaysia    1,400         42      2,050       30
Philippines 2,010         27      2,190       27
Singapore   2,510         17      2,550       20

           1990-92                 places moved
           cigarettes     *rank    up/down
           per year                from 1972-'92
Country
China         1,900          32       +40
Indonesia     1,180          59       +24
South Korea   3,010           5       +15
Bangladesh      990          67       +14
India         1,370          53       + 9
Japan         3,240           4       + 8
Thailand      1,050          62       + 7
Malaysia      1,630          44       - 2
Philippines   1,760          37       -10
Singapore     1,610          45       -28
*ranks refer to World Health Organization estimates in 111 countries

  Note: Taiwan is not a WHO member and was not included in the study.
The 1993 consumption there was estimated to be 1,765 cigarettes per person.
SOURCE: World Health Organization

     "Unless smoking behavior changes, three decades from now premature
deaths caused by tobacco in the developing world will exceed the expected
deaths from AIDS, tuberculosis, and complications of childbirth combined."
-- World Bank. World Development Report 1993: Investing in Health

  MARKET SHARE HELD
BY IMPORTED CIGARETTES
                 1985      1995
Japan            2%       21%
South Korea      2         6
Taiwan           0        22
Thailand         1         3
SOURCE: U.S. Department of Agriculture

From The Washington Post, November 18 1996; Page A01