title: The economic costs of tobacco consumption in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Pending a comprehensive study of tobacco economics in Saudi Arabia, our aim was to estimate the economic costs of tobacco consumption in Saudi Arabia over a period of 10 years (2001-2010).
  
  
  METHODS
  Pertinent data on imported tobacco were obtained from the Saudi Customs Authority through the Central Department of Statistics and Information. Mortality was calculated using the following parameters: 1 ton of tobacco consumed causes an average of 0.65 premature deaths, and the net loss was calculated as US $47.6 million (2011 US$ prices) for every 1000 tons of tobacco consumed. This represented the net cost of premature deaths and the direct and indirect costs of morbidity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using 2011 prices, the economic loss due to tobacco was US $20.5 billion over the last 10 years, without accounting for smuggled (illegally imported) tobacco. If the smuggling rate was 10% or 25%, the economic loss would be 22.6 or 25.6 billion US$, respectively. There were 280,000 premature deaths during the same period without accounting for smuggled tobacco.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In Saudi Arabia, short-term and long-term economic gains will result from reductions in tobacco use.
authors.affiliation: Family & Community Medicine, Arabian Center for Tobacco Control, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Abdullah M N
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: AlBedah
authors.affiliation: Public Health & Research Development, Arabian Center for Tobacco Control, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Mohamed K M
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Khalil
mesh_terms: D017281:Cost of Illness; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D061213:Mortality, Premature; D012529:Saudi Arabia; D012907:Smoking / Q000191:economics* / Q000401:mortality; D064424:Tobacco Use / Q000191:economics*; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000191:economics* / Q000401:mortality
keywords: Economics; Global health; Prevention