Dhaka, Nov. 18 -- Over the past two decades, the number of adults who use tobacco has fallen sharply across the globe.

The World Health Organization's Global Report on Trends in Prevalence of Tobacco Use 2000-2030 shows that in 2000, roughly one in three adults age 15 and older-about 32.7 percent-used tobacco. By 2022, that share had dropped to one in five adults, or 20.9 percent.

In total, global tobacco use has declined by 36 percent during this period. Bangladesh, the world's eighth-most populous nation, has followed a similar trajectory.

According to the latest Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), tobacco use among Bangladeshi adults dropped by 18.5 percent between 2009 and 2017.

Public health experts attribute much of this progres...