For a country that prides itself on public health and regulatory competence, Switzerland performs strikingly poorly in the fight against smoking. According to a new European ranking on tobacco-control policies, the country places 36th out of 37 states assessed—ahead only of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The ranking, highlighted by the Swiss Association for Tobacco Control, places Switzerland alongside several eastern European and Balkan countries, as well as Italy, rather than among its western European peers. At the top of the table sit Ireland, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, all of which have adopted increasingly aggressive anti-smoking measures over the past decade.
Among Switzerland’s neighbours, France performs particularly well, ranking fourth. Austria and Germany fare less impressively, though both still rank comfortably above Switzerland.
The report identifies several weaknesses in Swiss policy. Restrictions on tobacco advertising remain patchy, protections against lobbying by the tobacco industry are deemed insufficient and regulation of new nicotine products, including e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches, is considered lax. Prevention efforts are also criticised as inadequate.
Most unusually for a wealthy European country, Switzerland has still not ratified the World Health Organisation’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, the principal international treaty governing anti-smoking policy. Of all the countries assessed, it is the only one yet to do so.
The omission is awkward given Switzerland’s international image. The country hosts the headquarters of the World Health Organization in Geneva and is home to several of the world’s largest tobacco firms. Critics argue that the industry’s economic and political influence has long softened the country’s approach to regulation.
The Swiss tobacco-prevention association described the ranking as a “major political alarm signal”. It is calling for a comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, tighter rules on emerging nicotine products, higher tobacco taxes, stronger prevention campaigns and immediate ratification of the WHO convention.
Swiss lawmakers have recently tightened some regulations, notably after a 2022 referendum approved restrictions on tobacco advertising aimed at children. Yet campaigners say the reforms remain riddled with exceptions favourable to the industry. In a country famous for compromise, tobacco policy appears to be another example of gradualism bordering on inertia.
More on this:
Swiss ATC article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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