The bar chart illustrates the percentage of male smokers in seven different countries and globally, for the years 2000 and 2015. The countries compared are Armenia, Egypt, Lebanon, Bangladesh, Cuba, Mexico, and Australia.
In 2000, Armenia, Cuba, and Bangladesh each had a higher percentage of male smokers than the world average. In fact, these three countries had smoking rates that exceeded fifty percent. However, by 2015, Bangladesh experienced a substantial decline in its smoking rate, dropping by about 25 percentage points. In 2000, the global average for male smokers was just over 40 percent, which fell to approximately 35 percent by 2015.
Initially, Egypt, Lebanon, and Mexico had similar smoking rates of around 35 percent. However, the trend shifted as the rates in Egypt and Lebanon increased, while Mexico’s percentage declined by over ten percentage points, resulting in significant changes in the standings of these countries.
Although Armenia had the highest smoking rate in 2000, it saw a notable decline of more than 10 percentage points by 2015, bringing its rate closer to that of Cuba and Egypt. Meanwhile, Australia consistently recorded the lowest percentage of male smokers in both years, starting at just under 30 percent in 2000 and falling by about 10 percentage points, resulting in a smoking rate of less than 20 percent by 2015.
Overall, the percentage of male smokers decreased from 2000 to 2015, with the notable exceptions of Egypt and Lebanon, where rates increased.