Baku: PMI's Director of Scientific Engagement, Tomoko Iida, revealed at the 'Technovation - Science and Innovation for Sustainable Economic Transformation' event in Baku that 20% of Azerbaijan's population currently smokes, with prospects for this figure to decrease.

According to Azeri-Press News Agency, Iida shared that globally, 43.5 million individuals have transitioned from traditional cigarettes to alternative tobacco products. This shift aligns with Philip Morris International's (PMI) strategic initiative to move away from traditional smoking products, which has shown irreversible progress.

Iida highlighted that PMI's alternative products are now available in 108 countries, supporting the company's goal to derive two-thirds of its net revenues from these alternatives by 2030, up from the current 43%. She also indicated that the introduction of alternative products has led to a reduction in smoking rates in various regions.

Iida cited Japan as an example, where the smoking rate dropped from 20% to 10% within a decade following the introduction of alternative tobacco products in 2015. She expressed optimism that similar trends could occur in Azerbaijan, potentially reducing the country's smoking rate from the current 20%.