In recent years, Jordan has become one of the world's most tobacco-consuming countries, according to international figures.

Director of King Hussein Cancer Centre, Asem Mansour had earlier revealed that Jordan ranks first regionally and third internationally in terms of the proportions of smokers.

A new report issued by the Department of Statistics (DOS) on Tuesday, July 16, 2019, revealed shocking facts about tobacco use and smoking expenditure in Jordan.

The survey, conducted between the years 2017 and 2018, showed that Jordanian and non-Jordanian residents of Jordan spent about JD 717 million on tobacco products.

However, the Jordanian households spent about JD 661 million on tobacco and cigarettes during the same period.

According to the survey, about 59% of the families that benefited from the National Aid Fund have at least one smoker. 

Average Monthly Expense

Regarding the average monthly expense of Jordanian families, the study showed that families that have at least one smoker spent about JD 883 on tobacco and cigarettes of all kinds, equal to JD 74 per month.

The Jordanian households' average daily expense on cigarettes reached about JD 2.5, equivalent to the average daily expense on cereals, bread, and vegetables, which amounted to about JD 2.6.

Tafilah topped the Jordanian governorates with the highest rate of smoking expenditure that reached about 9.7%, followed by Karak (8.5%), Aqaba (8.5%), Balqa (8.3%), Ma'an (8.0%), Jerash (7.8%), Mafraq (7.7%), Madaba (7.4%), Ajloun (7.3%), Zarqa (7.0%), Irbid (6.8%) and Amman, which had the lowest rate of 5.9%.