Tobacco use in South Africa

Tobacco use among South Africans is fairly common, with a Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) census report released by the Department of Health in 2021 stating that 29.4% of the population used tobacco in some form.

South Africa has strong anti-tobacco laws to protect the health of the general public. Under national law, the sale of tobacco to minors is not allowed, and the advertising and promotion of tobacco products anywhere is strictly prohibited. Cigarette packaging features health warnings. Furthermore, smoking is prohibited in most indoor places, all partially-enclosed public spaces, as well as some outdoor areas, as well as anywhere where there are persons under the age of 18 present (including inside private vehicles).

There are strict penalties for both smokers and venue operators who violate the smoking laws, including fines of up to R50,000. South Africa has a national agency for tobacco control. The country also launched a free helpline (011 720 3145) for callers seeking assistance with quitting smoking.

Additionally, cigarettes may be sold only in designated areas within stores, and many stores that sell them do so behind the checkout counter or at a separate tobacco counter. In accordance with the law, these sales areas do not display advertising for tobacco-related products. Vending machines that sell tobacco products may not be used to dispense other products, such as snacks or beverages.

The use of tobacco by smoking, in particular, has decreased largely due to the increase in the precaution of the dangers of smoking and enforcement of stricter legislation on the tobacco industry. Despite the efforts to bring awareness to the risks that come with smoking, there is still a significant prevalence of tobacco use across in South Africa, and it is a major contributor to morbidity and mortality.

Vaping at schools in South Africa is quite common, despite widespread knowledge around the harm it causes, both to those who vape and by passive smoking. Children often start vaping due to social influences, and then continue to do so even once those influences are gone. Many start vaping due to the perception that it would be "fun", "due to the flavors", and "because someone asked them to join in".

As of 2024, over a third (36.4%) of high school students in South Africa had tried vaping, and 16.8% were actively vaping. The majority of individuals who were actively vaping started doing so between the ages of 14 and 16. In terms of other forms of tobacco use and smoking, 2% smoked cigarettes, 3% used hookah, and 5% used cannabis. There is no discernible difference in vaping across schools of varying affluence.

In keeping with its overall progressive style of governance and legislation, in 2000, South Africa became one of the first countries in the world to ban smoking in public places, when the country introduced its Tobacco Products Control Amendment Act. In 2003, South Africa was one of the first signatories to the World Health Organization's (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).