0.92% of Mothers in Indonesia Smoked in 2024, with the Highest Rate in South Papua

A report from Indonesia's Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) shows that 0.92% of mothers in Indonesia smoked in the month prior to a 2024 survey.

Among this group, the average number of cigarettes smoked was 10 per day.

"This needs attention due to the significant health effects on the mothers themselves, and on their children as passive smokers," wrote the BPS in its report titled *2024 Profile of Maternal and Child Health*.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as cited by the BPS, parental smoking can endanger infants by increasing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, childhood cancer, and hindering physical development.

In 2024, South Papua had the highest proportion of mothers who smoked in the month prior to the survey, at 7.52%, approximately eight times higher than the national average.

Meanwhile, the province with the lowest percentage of smoking mothers was West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) at 0.15%, followed by Central Papua at 0.24% and East Kalimantan at 0.42%.

The following is a list of the 10 provinces with the highest proportions of mothers who smoked in 2024:

1. South Papua: 7.52%
2. Papua Mountains: 3.81%
3. Southwest Papua: 3.69%
4. North Sulawesi: 2.3%
5. West Papua: 2.16%
6. North Maluku: 2.05%
7. West Java: 1.58%
8. Gorontalo: 1.52%
9. West Kalimantan: 1.49%
10. Central Sulawesi: 1.24%

Considering the highest level of education completed, the highest proportion of mothers who smoked in the month prior to the survey was among those who had no schooling or did not complete primary school, at 1.78%.

This percentage is significantly higher than that of mothers who completed tertiary education, which was only 0.51%.