The latest Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific study has reported one of the fastest national smoking declines ever recorded. Daily smoking in New Zealand was around 40% among men and one‑third among women in the mid‑20th century, falling to 15% by 2015–16 under conventional tobacco control, then dropped below 7% by 2022–23 after safer nicotine alternatives were formally recognised as cessation aids in 2018/19.

Using joinpoint regression analysis, a statistical method that identifies the precise point in time when a trend changes direction and measures how sharply it shifts, researchers confirmed a five‑fold acceleration in decline, from 3.5% to 17.9% annually. For India, home to 13.5 crore smokers and carrying one of the world’s heaviest tobacco‑related health burdens, the findings provide a timely evidence‑based reference point.