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We are devoted to improving access to economic research and information that can impact and inform tobacco policy. As a program of the University of Illinois at Chicago, Tobacconomics is not affiliated with any tobacco manufacturer. Learn about us »

80%

of tobacco-attributed deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries

860 million

adult smokers live in LMICs, and approximately 226 million are living in poverty

A 10% increase

in tobacco taxes will lead to a 4% decrease in smoking in HICs, and a 6% decrease in LMICs on average

7 million

preventable deaths each year occur due to tobacco use

$1.4 billion

total has been lost globally due to the economic cost of smoking

$6,000

in profit is gained by tobacco companies annually for each tobacco-related death

$31 billion

in the U.S. alone would be gained if global illicit trade were eliminated, and over 160,000 lives would be saved

Research funding provided by

  • Bloomberg Philanthropies
  • Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
  • Legacy
  • Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Featured Research



Tobacco Tax & Price Chartbooks

Trying to learn more about state laws related to pricing, taxation, and tribal sales of tobacco products in the U.S.? These chartbooks can help. With state-by-state info and downloadable data sets, they’ve got all the information you need.


NCI & WHO Monograph: The Economics of Tobacco and Tobacco Control

The global tobacco control effort is growing and changing rapidly. Get the latest evidence on the economic costs of tobacco use and the economic benefits of tobacco control efforts worldwide.

Recent Research

35% lower

youth daily smoking rates are found in countries with point-of-sale advertising bans compared to countries without bans  »

Recent updates

  • May 8, 2018

    Two More Countries Join Tobacconomics Partnerships to Reduce Global Tobacco Use

    Researchers from Pakistan and Bangladesh have become the newest members of Tobacconomics’ international partners that will conduct economic research to help inform and shape tobacco control policies in the two countries. The new international partners are the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD) in Bangladesh, the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) and the Social Policy and Development Centre (SPDC) in Pakistan. They join an existing partnership of six organizations covering 14 countries that was announced on March 9, 2018. The partnership, coordinated by Tobacconomics policy researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago’s (UIC) Institute for Health Research and Policy, engages in research to produce local evidence on the economic impacts of tobacco taxation. Both Pakistan and Bangladesh have complex tax systems on tobacco products, and both have opportunities to increase tobacco taxes, reduce tobacco consumption and generate new revenues that can be used for health and development efforts. Researchers from … Read more »

  • March 9, 2018

    Tobacconomics Announces New International Partnerships to Reduce Global Tobacco Use

    Tobacconomics tax policy experts today announced new partnership agreements with six international organizations to conduct economic research that will help inform and shape tobacco control policies in 14 countries in Asia, Latin America and South Eastern Europe. Through this partnership with Tobacconomics policy researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago’s (UIC) Institute for Health Research and Policy, the six international organizations will engage in research to produce local evidence on the economic impacts of tobacco taxation. UIC professor Frank J. Chaloupka, who directs the Tobacconomics team, announced the new partnerships at the closing session of the World Conference on Tobacco or Health in Cape Town, South Africa, on March 9. The new international partners and the target countries in which they will work are: PRAKARSA and the Tax Centre at the University of Indonesia (Indonesia); Institute of Public Policy and Management (IPPM) at the National Economics University (NEU) and the Development and … Read more »

See all updates »