Global Tobacco Index Shows Widening Influence of the tobacco industry globally. It shows how the tobacco industry remains deeply entrenched in governmental processes, exploiting policy gaps, weak transparency mechanisms, and official partnerships to undermine tobacco control strategies.

The newly released Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2025 paints a sobering picture of how the tobacco industry continues to shape public health policy across the world, including in Bangladesh, despite international commitments and mounting evidence of tobacco’s devastating health impacts. The index – compiled by the Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control (GGTC) with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies and other partners – assesses how 100 governments fare in limiting tobacco industry interference in health policymaking under Article 5.3 of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC).

Globally, the tobacco industry remains deeply entrenched in governmental processes, exploiting policy gaps, weak transparency mechanisms, and official partnerships to undermine tobacco control strategies. According to the index’s ranking, countries such as Brunei Darussalam, Palau, and Botswana are among those with the lowest levels of interference, scoring significantly better than many others. Conversely, countries including the United States, Switzerland, and the Dominican Republic register the highest levels of tobacco industry influence, highlighting the spectrum of challenges in protecting health policy from vested corporate interests. Bangladesh – with a score of 66 out of 100 – sits in the mid-to-high interference band, indicating persistent and systemic influence.

Bangladesh’s Standing and Ongoing Challenges

In Bangladesh, the Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2025 warns that tobacco industry influence remains strong and has not abated despite incremental policy efforts. Weak safeguards, tax concessions, and close official ties to tobacco firms are cited as key factors undermining public health efforts and the government’s WHO commitments.

The index assesses multiple indicators of interference – ranging from participation in policy development to corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities, transparency measures, and conflicts of interest. Bangladesh’s performance reflects shortcomings across several of these domains. A notable concern is the continued interaction between senior government officials and tobacco companies. In one instance, a senior finance official also served on the board of British American Tobacco Bangladesh, blurring the lines between regulatory responsibilities and industry interests, the report notes.

Officials’ acceptance of industry assistance on enforcement and consultancy has also raised eyebrows. Even diplomatic engagement with multinational tobacco firms – such as meetings endorsing ongoing business operations abroad – reveals the industry’s strategic reach into policymaking circles that extend beyond domestic health ministry walls.

Policy Pitfalls: Tax Stagnation and CSR Partnerships

A critical area where Bangladesh has faltered, according to the index, is fiscal policy. Despite robust evidence that higher tobacco taxes are among the most effective means to curb consumption, the government reportedly opted against raising taxes on bidis in the fiscal year 2024–25 budget. This decision followed targeted lobbying efforts, including a memorandum from a bidi labourers’ association that urged the former prime minister to withdraw proposed tax hikes – illustrating how industry-aligned economic arguments can sway policy direction away from health priorities.

CSR activities also remain a pivotal conduit for industry influence. Across the world, tobacco companies continue to deploy CSR initiatives – from disaster relief to community development – to gain access and goodwill among policymakers. In Bangladesh, the index highlights occasions where ministries publicly acknowledged or partnered with tobacco firms for events, reinforcing public legitimacy for companies whose products undermine health.

Public health advocates argue that such partnerships not only contradict WHO FCTC guidelines but also entrench tobacco’s economic and social value at the expense of long-term health outcomes.

Global Trends and Paths Forward

The Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index does more than diagnose the problem; it also points to examples of progress and pathways for reform. Nearly 34 countries improved their scores by strengthening legal frameworks that align with WHO FCTC Article 5.3 guidelines, rejecting industry collaborations, and implementing transparency measures such as publishing official meetings with tobacco entities.

Peru, for instance, is cited as a country that has incorporated Article 5.3 protections directly into national law, effectively ruling out industry involvement in policy decisions and setting penalties for non-compliance. Several other countries have banned tobacco-related CSR contributions and political donations, showing that proactive governance can blunt industry strategies designed to sway public policy.

The index stresses the importance of comprehensive registers of industry lobbyists, stringent conflict-of-interest rules, and binding codes of conduct that extend beyond health ministries to include finance, agriculture, commerce, and diplomatic services. Only through cohesive government action – treating tobacco companies as incompatible with public health goals – can countries hope to curtail the industry’s influence.

For Bangladesh, adopting a whole-of-government law on Article 5.3, prohibiting all political and charitable contributions from tobacco entities, requiring full disclosure of industry interactions, and ending incentives that grant the industry legitimacy are among the concrete steps outlined by the index. Such measures are seen as critical to advancing the country toward its tobacco-free goals while safeguarding public health for future generations.

The Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2025 underscores that tobacco industry influence remains a formidable barrier to public health policy in Bangladesh and worldwide. While some countries demonstrate notable progress, Bangladesh’s mid-to-high interference score suggests that institutional reforms and stricter safeguards are urgently needed. The index offers both a stark warning and a strategic roadmap for governments committed to protecting health policy from commercial interests that prioritize profits over people.