Jakarta. Indonesia's Health Ministry has warned of a sharp rise in the number of smokers, including among children, as the country struggles to curb smoking rates despite having regulations in place.

At a virtual press conference hosted by the Indonesian Youth Council for Tactical Changes on Thursday, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, Director of Non-Communicable Diseases at the ministry, revealed that 70.2 million Indonesian adults are tobacco users, with 68.9 million being active smokers.

“While the smoking prevalence rate appears to have declined since 2013, the actual number of smokers has increased by 5 million due to population growth, from 57.2 million in 2013 to 63.1 million in 2023,” Nadia said, adding that the increase is equivalent to the entire population of a small country like Singapore.

Equally concerning, the number of child and teenage smokers aged 10–18 has surged from 2 million in 2013 to 5.9 million in 2023. Data from the 2023 Indonesia Health Survey also shows that 2.6 percent of children aged 4–9, 44.7 percent aged 10–14, and 52.8 percent aged 15–19 reported having started smoking.

Nadia highlighted gaps in enforcement at the grassroots level, with underage children still able to buy cigarettes despite existing regulations prohibiting sales to those under 18. She stressed that stricter measures are needed to prevent minors from accessing tobacco products.

“In many countries, there is stronger digital monitoring and protection from new nicotine products, while we are still grappling with basic enforcement,” Nadia said.

Beladenta Amalia, Project Lead for Tobacco Control at health-based NGO, CISDI, said that Indonesia is lagging behind other countries that have linked tobacco taxes to sustainable control measures. She cited Brazil, which raises tobacco excise taxes annually, and Vietnam, which imposes an additional 2 percent factory-level tax on cigarettes to fund tobacco control efforts.

“In Latin America, despite higher excise taxes, the rate of illicit cigarettes has actually dropped,” Beladenta said.

Manik Marganamahendra, Chair of the Indonesian Youth Council for Tactical Changes, warned that tobacco companies have shifted their marketing strategies to target young people through channels that evade traditional regulatory oversight, including music events and influencer collaborations.

“Indonesia is trying to respond to these threats, but we need political courage to move from technical documents to actual implementation,” Manik said. “The health minister should speak for public health, not compromise with the tobacco industry.”

Dr. Putu Ayu Swandewi Astuti, Chair of Udayana Central, stressed the importance of adopting plain packaging to enhance the effectiveness of graphic health warnings, arguing that colorful branding on cigarette packaging can dilute health messages and attract young people.

“Plain packaging can make health warnings clearer and reduce the appeal of tobacco products among youth,” she said.

Shoim Shariati, Chair of the KAKAK Foundation, stressed that local leaders’ commitment is key to successful smoke-free zone policies, calling for stronger support from the national government to replicate effective regional practices across the country.

“A total ban on tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship at the local level, supported by national policy, is critical to protecting children from tobacco,” Shoim said.