Tobacco use among schoolchildren in Sri Lanka has increased significantly over the past eight years, with the proportion of students who have tried smoking at least once doubling between 2016 and 2024, according to a World Health Organization survey. The findings come as a proposed ban on tobacco sales to people born in 2010 or later remains awaiting approval, while the World Bank forecasts a further slowdown in the country’s economic growth.
The 2024 Sri Lanka Global School-based Student Health Survey found that 12.8 per cent of students aged 13 to 17 had tried smoking at least once, up from 6.4 per cent in 2016. The survey also recorded an increase in smokeless tobacco use, from 2.3 per cent to 7.3 per cent over the same period.
Sampath de Seram, director of the Alcohol and Drug Information Centre, said 5.7 per cent of schoolchildren in the 13–17 age group currently smoked, while 9.7 per cent used other forms of tobacco, according to the survey findings.
The proportion of students who had tried smoking at least once was substantially higher among boys than girls, at 21.3 per cent and 5.1 per cent respectively. In 2024, the use of any form of tobacco was recorded among 16.9 per cent of male students, compared with 2.9 per cent of female students.
The survey also identified electronic cigarette use among younger people, with 7.4 per cent of students aged 16 to 17 reporting that they used e-cigarettes. Overall, 9.7 per cent of students were found to use some form of tobacco, highlighting the range of products used by school-age adolescents.
The findings have renewed attention on a proposal intended to prevent a new generation from becoming tobacco consumers. In April, the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol submitted a proposal to the health minister seeking Cabinet approval for legislation that would prohibit the sale of tobacco products to anyone born in 2010 or later, de Seram said.
The proposal has not yet become law. If implemented, the measure would establish a generational restriction under which people born from 2010 onwards would remain ineligible to purchase tobacco products as they grow older. Those born in 2010 would turn 21 in 2031.
The proposed legislation is intended to create a tobacco-free generation, although its adoption depends on the government’s approval process. The survey figures provide a measure of the challenge facing such efforts, particularly given the increase in experimentation with cigarettes and the reported growth in smokeless tobacco use since 2016.
Separately, the World Bank has forecast that Sri Lanka’s economic growth will slow from 5 per cent in 2025 to 4.4 per cent in 2026, pointing to a gradual loss of momentum in the country’s recovery following its economic crisis.
The bank attributed the projected slowdown to the still-gradual recovery and persistently low productivity. It also warned that risks arising from prolonged instability in global energy markets and the effects of the El Niño phenomenon could place additional pressure on productivity and food security.
The outlook suggests that growth will continue to moderate over the following two years. The World Bank projects Sri Lanka’s economy to expand by 4.2 per cent in 2027 and 4 per cent in 2028.
Together, the tobacco survey and economic projections point to two separate challenges confronting Sri Lanka: addressing the growing exposure of schoolchildren to tobacco products and sustaining economic recovery amid domestic productivity constraints and external risks. The proposed generational tobacco ban remains a policy under consideration, while the World Bank’s projections indicate that maintaining growth will remain a concern in the years ahead.
