CAMBODIA

* Studies show that about 67% of men smoke in urban areas (Phnom Penh), while in rural areas, where most people live, about 86% of men smoke.
* Men's smoking prevalence seems to peak among older men, (50 to 70 years). Some older men began smoking during Pol Pot's regime in the late 1970s, because smokers were given 10-minute breaks every hour from hard labour by the Khmer Rouge.
* Smoking prevalence among monks is high, particularly in rural areas.
* Tobacco companies are major advertisers, accounting for 13% of all advertising in 2000. In 1997, half of all street advertising was for tobacco products.
* Street advertising of cigarettes rose by 400% between 1994 and 1997.
* In 1997, it was estimated that cigarettes comprised 30% of all imported goods.
* Support for tobacco control is high. A 1997 survey in Phnom Penh found about 80% of respondents believed the government should ban cigarette advertisements.
* The toll from smoking is hard to estimate due to inadequate data, but a 1997 (WHO/MOH) study estimated that 6,000 Cambodians die annually from smoking.

(Resource: WHO)