Papua New Guinea Tobacco Control Summary
Core Content Overview
Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a middle-income country with a population of 8,947,027. It has ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) on 25 May 2006. The country has implemented various tobacco control measures as part of the MPOWER framework, which includes monitoring tobacco use, protecting people from second-hand smoke, offering cessation support, warning about tobacco dangers, enforcing advertising bans, and raising tobacco taxes.
MPOWER Measures and Compliance
| Measure |
Compliance Score |
Notes |
| Monitoring |
No recent or representative data |
No nationally representative surveys of adults in the past 5 years. Adolescents survey data is available but not periodic. |
| Smoke-Free Environments |
2 |
Complete smoke-free laws exist in some public places but not all. Compliance score is 2. |
| Cessation Programmes |
Not applicable |
No cessation support services available, and nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is not legally sold or covered by health insurance. |
| Health Warnings |
3 |
Health warnings are required on all tobacco packages (50% of principal display areas), but they are not in the principal language and do not include photographs or graphics. |
| Mass Media Campaigns |
Not applicable |
No national anti-tobacco mass media campaigns between 2018 and 2020. |
| Advertising Bans |
3 |
Direct tobacco advertising is banned on national TV and radio, and at point of sale. Indirect advertising bans include restrictions on product placement and non-tobacco product branding. Compliance score is 3. |
| Taxation |
53.1% |
Cigarettes have become less affordable since 2010. Taxes on the most sold cigarette brand account for 53.09% of the retail price. |
Key Statistics on Tobacco Use
| Group |
Current Use (%) |
Daily Use (%) |
| Adults (2016-18) |
... |
... |
| - Male |
60.3 |
38.8 |
| - Female |
26.0 |
22.0 |
| - Both sexes |
... |
... |
| Adolescents (2016) |
33.3 |
25.4 |
| - Male |
40.1 |
29.9 |
| - Female |
28.3 |
18.2 |
WHO Age-Standardized Smoking Prevalence (2019)
| Group |
Current Use (%) |
Daily Use (%) |
| Male |
54.9 |
47.9 |
| Female |
26.1 |
21.3 |
| Both sexes |
40.5 |
34.6 |
Smoke-Free Laws Compliance (2020)
| Location |
Compliance |
| Health-care facilities |
8 |
| Educational facilities (except universities) |
7 |
| Universities |
5 |
| Government facilities |
7 |
| Indoor offices and workplaces |
8 |
| Restaurants |
7 |
| Cafés, pubs and bars |
5 |
| Public transport |
3 |
| Compliance score |
2 |
| Fines for violations |
Yes |
| Funds for enforcement |
No |
| Complaint system |
No |
Tobacco Advertising, Promotion and Sponsorship
| Measure |
Status |
| Direct advertising on national TV and radio |
Yes |
| Direct advertising on local magazines and newspapers |
Yes |
| Direct advertising on billboards and outdoor |
Yes |
| Direct advertising at point of sale |
Yes |
| Direct advertising on internet |
Yes |
| Complete ban on sponsorship |
Yes |
| Ban on publicizing sponsorship |
Yes |
| Tobacco companies publicizing CSR |
Yes |
| Entities other than tobacco companies publicizing CSR |
Yes |
| Compliance score of direct bans |
3 |
| Compliance score of indirect bans |
3 |
Tobacco Taxation and Affordability
| Measure |
Value |
| Taxes on most sold cigarette brand (% of retail price) |
53.09% |
| Cigarettes less affordable since 2010 |
Yes |
| Affordability trend (2010–2020) |
No change |
| Price of most sold cigarette brand (2020) |
PGK 20.00 |
| Tax revenue from tobacco products (2017) |
PGK 412,089,862.35 (specific and ad valorem excise) |
National Tobacco Control Programme (2020)
| Item |
Status |
| National government objectives in tobacco control |
Yes |
| National agency or technical unit for tobacco control |
Yes |
| Number of full-time equivalent staff |
1 |
| Government expenditures on tobacco control |
Not reported |
Earmarking of Tobacco Taxes
| Item |
Status |
| Earmarking of tobacco taxes for health |
No |
Summary of MPOWER Score
| Measure |
Status |
| Monitoring |
No recent or representative data |
| Smoke-Free Environments |
Moderate |
| Cessation Programmes |
Minimal |
| Health Warnings |
Moderate |
| Mass Media |
No policy or weak measure |
| Advertising Bans |
Moderate |
| Taxation |
Moderate |
Conclusion
PNG has made some progress in tobacco control, particularly in smoke-free environments and taxation, but significant gaps remain in monitoring, cessation support, and mass media campaigns. Health warnings are in place but lack certain key features such as being in the principal language and including graphics. There is no national quit line or NRT availability, and tobacco affordability has not shown a clear trend since 2010. The country's tobacco control efforts are limited and require further development to align with global best practices.
