A Lancet study estimates that second-hand smoke caused nearly 1.7 million deaths globally in 2023.

What it means

This reports that a peer-reviewed study in The Lancet estimates that second-hand tobacco smoke (passive smoking) was responsible for nearly 1.7 million deaths worldwide in 2023. The figure is an epidemiological modelling estimate of deaths attributable to exposure to other people's smoke, not a direct count of death certificates, and is meant to quantify the global disease burden that could be avoided by eliminating such exposure.

Accuracy & sourcesGrounded

The claim is solid as a report of the study: the primary source is a named Lancet paper, and the coverage comes from reputable news outlets working from that study. The 1.7 million figure is still a modelled estimate, so its precision depends on the study's assumptions about exposure measurement and how deaths are attributed to second-hand smoke; it should be read as a central estimate rather than an exact count.

How new

This wave of reporting is dated 7–8 September 2026, and with no recirculation year supplied it should be treated as newly published coverage of a study emerging at that time, not resurfaced older material.

Go deeper

• France 24 report
• The Straits Times report