As part of a growing global trend, at least 138
countries/jurisdictions have legislated PHWs to date
in accordance with WHO FCTC Article 11 and its
implementation guidelines, adopted at the third
session of the FCTC Conference of Parties (COP 3)
in 2008. In 2016, ASEAN became the first region in
the world where all ten member states require PHWs
on tobacco packages.
The Article 11 Guidelines recommend that health
warnings be as large as possible and include pictures
to effectively communicate the health harms of
tobacco use. Thailand currently requires the world’s
fourth largest PHWs (85% front and back of the
pack) after Timor-Leste and Turkey (92.5%),
Maldives, Nepal Vanuatu, Benin, and Mauritius
(90%), and New Zealand (87.5%). Four other
ASEAN countries (Brunei, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Singapore)
require PHW sizes that are considered
international best practices (at least 75%).
The Article 11 Guidelines also recommend
standardized (plain) packaging, which enhances the
visibility of the PHWs and reduces the appeal of
tobacco products. In 2012, Australia was the first
country to implement plain tobacco packaging.
Globally, there are at least 43 countries and
territories moving forward with standardized
tobacco packaging, with 26 countries having
adopted the measure and at least 14 other countries
that are in varying stages of introducing standardized
packaging laws. With the World Trade Organization
dispute panel decision upholding Australia’s right to
require plain packaging, it is expected that even
more countries will follow suit.
In ASEAN, Thailand, Singapore, Myanmar, and Lao
PDR are the leading countries that have adopted
standardized tobacco packaging, which eliminated
all promotional aspects of packaging including
brand colours, logos, and graphics on tobacco
packages, effective on 10 September 2019, 1 July
2020, 31 December 2024 and 5 December 2024
respectively. Other ASEAN country (Philippines) is
underway to adopt a similar measure.
Increasing number of countries requiring PHWs on cigarette packages (2001-2023)
| Asean COUNTRY | Year of PHWs rotation |
|---|---|
| Singapore | (2004, 2006, 2013, 2020, 2020 - SP) |
| Thailand | (2005, 2007, 2010, 2014, 2019 - SP, 2022) |
| Brunei | (2008, 2012) |
| Malaysia | (2009, 2014) |
| Vietnam | (2013) |
| Indonesia | (2014, 2018) |
| Philippines | (2016, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024) |
| Cambodia | (2016, 2018, 2021, 2024) |
| Myanmar | (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 - SP) |
| Lao PDR | (2016, 2024 - SP) |
*( ) Year of PHWs rotation. SP – Standardized packaging
Leaders of pack warning size
Five ASEAN countries among top 25 countries worldwide with the largest pictorial health warnings.
| Country | % Average PHW size | % PHW size (front) | % PHW size (back) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Timor-Leste | 92.5 | 85 | 100 |
| 1 | Turkey | 92.5 | 85 | 100 |
| 2 | Maldives | 90 | 90 | 90 |
| 2 | Nepal | 90 | 90 | 90 |
| 2 | Vanuatu | 90 | 90 | 90 |
| 2 | Benin | 90 | 90 | 90 |
| 2 | Mauritius | 90 | 90 | 90 |
| 3 | New Zealand | 87.5 | 75 | 100 |
| 4 | Hong Kong (S.A.R., China) | 85 | 85 | 85 |
| 4 | India | 85 | 85 | 85 |
| 4 | Thailand | 85 | 85 | 85 |
| 5 | Australia | 82.5 | 75 | 90 |
| 5 | Cook Islands | 82.5 | 75 | 90 |
| 5 | Niue | 82.5 | 75 | 90 |
| 6 | Gambia | 81.5 | 81.5 | 81.5 |
| 7 | Chad | 80 | 80 | 80 |
| 7 | Sri Lanka | 80 | 80 | 80 |
| 7 | Uruguay | 80 | 80 | 80 |
| 8 | Ethiopia | 78 | 78 | 78 |
| 9 | Brunei | 75 | 75 | 75 |
| 9 | Canada | 75 | 75 | 75 |
| 9 | Lao PDR | 75 | 75 | 75 |
| 9 | Myanmar | 75 | 75 | 75 |
| 9 | Singapore | 75 | 75 | 75 |
| 9 | Tajikistan | 75 | 75 | 75 |
Thailand: Asia’s first standardized packaging (with 85% PHW)
In April 2013, Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) passed a regulation requiring pictorial health
warnings to cover the upper 85% of front and back panels of packs; however, implementation was
delayed due to a legal challenge by the tobacco industry, including Japan Tobacco International
(JTI), Philip Morris (PM), and British American Tobacco (BAT), that led to an injunction being
issued by the Central Administrative Court.
On 26 June 2014, the Supreme Administrative Court ruled in favor of the MoPH and cancelled the
injunction, clearing the way for implementation of the larger 85% warnings. All tobacco products
sold in Thailand were required to carry the new pictorial warnings within 90 days.
Thailand was the first Asian country to enforce standardized packaging for tobacco products. On
14 December 2018, Thailand’s Standardized Packaging Regulation was enacted with effect after
nine (9) months (on 10 September 2019) with a 3-month full phase-out of old cigarette stocks by
8 December 2019. All cigarettes packaging must be sold in drab brown-colored packs with
cigarette brand names printed in a standardized font type, size, color, and location, without
brand colors or logos. The new standardized packaging complements Thailand’s pictorial health
warnings, which occupy the upper 85% of the front and back panels of packs, currently the
largest in ASEAN.
Thailand’s Tobacco Product Control Act enacted in 2017 authorises the Minister of Public Health to prescribe the standards for package size, colour, marks, labels, and display of trademarks, pictures, and messages on tobacco packages.
Among the world’s largest: Thailand, Brunei, Lao PDR, Myanmar and Singapore
Thailand (85% front and back)*
*These are 4 out of 10 new Thailand PHW images for the 6th rotation, effective 11 January 2022.
Brunei (75% front and back)*
*These are 2 out of 7 Brunei PHW images for the 2nd rotation, effective 1 September 2012.
Lao PDR (75% front and back)*
*These are 2 out of 10 Lao PDR PHW images for the 2nd rotation, effective 5 December 2024.
Myanmar (75% front and back)*
*These are 2 out of 10 new Myanmar PHW images for the 6th rotation, effective 10 April 2022.
Singapore (75% front and back)*
*These are 2 out of 6 Singapore PHW images for the 4th rotation, effective 1 July 2020.
Pictorial health warnings on cigarette packages in other ASEAN countries
Philippines (50% front and back)*
*These are 4 out of 10 new Philippines PHW images for the 5th rotation, effective March 2024.
Malaysia (50% front and 60% back)*
*These are 2 out of 12 Malaysia PHW images for the 2nd rotation, effective 1 January 2014.
Cambodia (55% front and back)*
*These are 2 new Cambodia PHW images for the 4th rotation, effective 1 May 2024.
Vietnam (50% front and back)*
*These are 2 out of 6 Vietnam PHW images for the first rotation, effective 8 August, 2013.
Indonesia (40% front and back)*
*These are 2 out of 5 Indonesia PHW images for the 2nd rotation, effective 11 January 2019.
ASEAN image bank of copyright-free pictorial health warnings
In collaboration with ASEAN Focal Points on Tobacco Control (AFPTC), SEATCA established a sharing mechanism of copyright-free pictorial health warning images of ASEAN countries. SEATCA continues to:
- Provide technical assistance to countries on development and implementation of PHWs and standardized tobacco packaging policies.
- Facilitate access to high-resolution and copyright-free PHW images from ASEAN countries.
- Provide sample cigarette packs from the ASEAN region and globally for advocacy purposes.
For more detailed information, please visit http://tobaccolabels.seatca.org/gallery/
Evolution of pictorial health warnings and standardized tobacco packaging in ASEAN
| Country | Years of Implementation and Rounds of Rotation | Position, Size, and Location | Language | Number of Rotating Health Warnings | Cessation Messages |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brunei | 2008, 2012 | Top 75% front and back | Malay (front), English (back) | 7 | |
| Cambodia | 2016, 2018, 2021, 2024* | Top 55% front and back | Khmer | 2 | |
| Indonesia | 2014, 2018 | Top 40% front and back | Bahasa Indonesia | 5 | Layanan Berhenti Merokok (0800-177-6565) |
| Lao PDR | 2016, 2024** | Top 75% front and back | Lao | 10 | |
| Malaysia | 2009, 2014 | Top 50% front and 60% back | Malay (front), English (back) | 12 | Infoline: 03-8883 4400 |
| Myanmar | 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024*** | Top 75% front and back | Myanmar | 10 | Quit tobacco |
| Philippines | 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024**** | Bottom 50% front and back | Filipino (front), English (back) | 12 | Quit Smoking: Call DOH Quitline 1558 (formerly 165-364) |
| Singapore | 2004, 2006, 2013, 2020***** | Top 75% front and back | English | 6 | YOU CAN QUIT and QUITLINE 1800 438 2000 |
| Thailand | 2005, 2007, 2010, 2014, 2019, 2022****** | Top 85% front and back | Thai | 10 | Quitline 1600 |
| Vietnam | 2013 | Top 50% front and back | Vietnamese | 6 |
*The 4th rotation of Cambodia PHWs effective 1 May 2024.
**PHW implementation was delayed due to strong tobacco industry interference. The deadline for tobacco industry compliance was extended three times from 1 October 2016 to 1 January 2018 (a total of 19 months grace period). The Ministry of Health has issued a regulation on standardized tobacco packaging as mandated by the Tobacco Control Law 2021. Lao PDR is the fourth ASEAN country to require standardized tobacco packaging effective 5 December 2024.
***Myanmar was the third ASEAN country to require standardized packaging and 10 PHWs for smoked and smokeless tobacco products (5 PHWs each), effective 10 April 2022, however, implementation was delayed to 31 December 2024, a total of 38 months extension, due to tobacco industry interference.
****The 5th rotation of Philippines PHWs effective March 2024.
*****Singapore implemented standardized packaging and increased the pictorial warning size from 50% to 75% effective 1 July 2020.
******Thailand standardized packaging with a new set of 10 rotating pictorial health warnings effective 11 January 2022.
Ban on false or misleading descriptors in ASEAN
Year of implementation
| 2007 | 2009 | 2010 | 2012 | 2013 | 2015 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thailand | Malaysia | Lao PDR | Indonesia | Singapore and Vietnam | Cambodia | Myanmar and Philippines |
*Brunei: No ban.
Implementation timeline of the new rotation of pictorial health warnings and standardized tobacco packaging in ASEAN
| Country | Pictorial Health Warnings (Size: Front/Back) | Standardized Packaging | Date of Approval | Transition Period for Tobacco Industry | Date of Implementation | Date of Implementation at Retail Level | Phase-in Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brunei | 75%/75% | 22 February 2012 | Less than 7 months | 1 September 2012 | 1 September 2012 | NA | |
| Cambodia | 55%/55% | 20 April 2023 | 9 months | 1 May 2024 | 1 May 2024 | NA | |
| Indonesia | 40%/40% | 13 December 2017 | 12 months | 11 January 2019 | 11 January 2019 | NA | |
| Lao PDR | 75%/75% | ✔ | 13 May 2024 | 6 months | 5 December 2024* | 5 December 2024 | NA |
| Malaysia | 50%/60% | 11 June 2013 | Less than 7 months | 1 January 2014 | 1 January 2014 | NA | |
| Myanmar | 75%/75% | ✔ | 12 October 2021 | 6 months | 31 December 2024** | 31 December 2024 | 90 days (1 January – 1 April 2025) |
| Philippines | 50%/50% | 19 July 2023 | 12 months after publication of PHW templates | 4 March 2024 | 4 March 2024 | 8 months | |
| Singapore | 75%/75% | ✔ | 1 July 2019 | 12 months | 1 July 2020*** | 1 July 2020 | 3 months (1 April – 30 June 2020) |
| Thailand | 85%/85% | ✔ | 14 July 2021 | 6 months | 11 January 2022**** | 10 April 2022 | 90 days (11 January – 10 April 2022) |
| Vietnam | 50%/50% | 8 February 2013 | 6–10 months | 8 August 2013 (soft pack), 8 December 2013 (hard pack) | 8 August 2013 (soft pack), 8 December 2013 (hard pack) | NA |
*Lao PDR ranked the fourth ASEAN country to require standardized packaging on tobacco products effective 5 December 2024.
**Myanmar was the third ASEAN country to require standardized packaging and 10 PHWs for smoked and smokeless tobacco products (5 PHWs each), effective 10 April 2022, however, implementation was delayed to 31 December 2024, a total of 38 months extension, due to tobacco industry interference.
***Singapore ranked second country in ASEAN to implement standardized packaging, effective 1 July 2020.
****Thailand was the first country in ASEAN to implement standardized packaging, effective 10 September 2019. The 6th rotation of Thailand PHWs effective 11 January 2022.
Canada: Global first to require health warnings on individual cigarettes
Canada led the world as the first country to require the printing of
health messages on individual cigarette sticks. The warnings include,
“Poison in every puff,” “Cigarettes cause impotence” and “Tobacco
smoke harms children.” Tobacco product packages that feature the
new health-related messages printed on every individual cigarette is
sold in stores starting end of April 2024.
The individual warnings will
be phased in, with king-sized cigarettes carrying the message by 31 July
2024, and regular-size cigarettes and cigarillos with tipping paper, and
tubes, by 30 April 2025. This measure will provide a constant
reminder to consumers on the health effects of tobacco use.
Photo credit: Canadian cigarette package warnings on individual cigarettes (CNW Group/Canadian Cancer Society) (left) and Canadian Department of Health (right).
All legal challenges brought by the tobacco industry against standardize/plain packaging laws have been dismissed by the courts and tribunals across the globe.
Standardized/plain tobacco packaging around the world
Globally, there are at least 43 countries and territories moving forward with standardized tobacco packaging, with 26 countries having adopted the measure following Australia’s lead (in 2012), 3 countries Monaco (from France), Cook Islands (from New Zealand), and Niue (from Australia) having it in practice and at least 14 other countries are in varying stages of introducing standardized packaging laws.
- Retail Level
- Manufacturer Level
Four ASEAN countries (Thailand, Singapore, Myanmar, and Lao PDR) are among the 26 countries worldwide who have adopted standardized tobacco packaging, the global standard for packaging and labelling of tobacco products.
| COUNTRY | Manufacturer Level | Retail Level |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 20 May 2016 | 20 May 2017 |
| Canada | 9 Nov 2019 | 7 Feb 2020 |
| Ireland | 30 Sept 2017 | 30 Sept 2018 |
| Guernsey | 31 July 2021 | 31 July 2022 |
| Jersey | 1 Jan 2022 | 31 July 2022 |
| France | 20 May 2016 | 1 Jan 2017 |
| Slovenia | 1 Jan 2020 | 1 Jan 2020 |
| Hungary* | 1 Jan 2022 | 1 Jan 2022 |
| Uruguay | 21 Dec 2019 | 21 Dec 2019 |
| Belgium | 1 Jan 2020 | 1 Jan 2021 |
| Norway | 1 July 2017 | 1 July 2018 |
| Finland | 1 May 2023 | 1 May 2023 |
| Denmark | 1 July 2021 | 1 Apr 2022 |
| Netherlands | 1 Oct 2020 | 1 Oct 2020 |
| Georgia | 31 July 2024 | 31 July 2024 |
| Saudi Arabia | 23 Aug 2019 | 1 Jan 2020 |
| Oman | 4 Apr 2024 | 4 July 2024 |
| Mauritius | 31 May 2023 | 31 May 2023 |
| Israel | 8 Jan 2020 | 8 Jan 2020 |
| Turkey | 5 Dec 2019 | 5 Jan 2020 |
| Australia (2012) | 1 Oct 2012 | 1 Dec 2012 |
| New Zealand | 14 Mar 2018 | 6 June 2018 |
| Myanmar | 31 Dec 2024 | 31 Mar 2025 |
| Lao PDR | 5 Dec 2024 | 5 Dec 2024 |
| Thailand | 10 Sept 2019 | 8 Dec 2019 |
| Singapore | 1 July 2020 | 1 July 2020 |
*In Hungary, pain/standardized packaging is required for new brands from 20 August 2016.
Standardized tobacco packaging in ASEAN (Thailand, Singapore, Myanmar and Lao PDR)
Thailand, Singapore, Myanmar and Lao PDR are the first in Asia and among the 26 countries and territories that implement standardized packaging for tobacco products, eliminating all promotional aspects of packaging including brand colours, logos and graphics on tobacco packages. Singapore’s PHWs size on the package surface, increased to 75% from 50% (introduced since 2004) along with the standardized packaging regulation.
Disclosure of information on relevant constituents and emissions of tobacco products in ASEAN
| Country | Details |
|---|---|
| Brunei (2012) [1] |
This product contains nicotine and tar which cause addiction and is dangerous to
health. Produk ini mengandungi nikotina dan tar yang menyebabkan ketagihan dan membahayakan kesihatan Printing requirements:
|
| Indonesia (2012) [1] |
There is no safe limit! Contains more than 4,000 hazardous chemicals and more than 43
cancer-causing substances. Tidak ada batas aman! Mengandungi lebih dari 4,000 zat kimia berbahaya, 43 zat penyebab kanker Printing requirements:
|
| Lao PDR (2024)* [10] |
Side panel A:
Side panel B:
Printing requirements:
|
| Malaysia (2009) [1] |
This product contains more than 4,000 chemicals including tar, nicotine and carbon
monoxide that are dangerous to health Produk ini mengandungi lebih 4,000 bahan kimia termasuk tar, nikotina dan karbon monoksida yang membahayakan kesihatan Printing requirements:
|
| Myanmar (2021)* [4] |
On cigarettes, cheroots and cigars (Say Pyinlate) and various kinds of cigars
packaging ဆေးရွက်ဘက်ရိပ်သားသည် ကျန်းမာရေးကို အဆိုးရွားစွာထိခိုက်စေသည်။ ဆေးရွက်မသောက်ပါ။ Smoking causes serious harm to your health. Quit smoking. ဆေးရွက်ဘက်ရိပ်သားတွင် နီကိုတင်း၊ ကားဘွန်မိုနိုအောက်ဆိုဒ်၊ နှလုံးနှင့် အဆုတ်ရောဂါများ ဖြစ်စေသော ဓာတ်ပစ္စည်းများ ပါဝင်သည်။ ဆေးရွက်မသောက်ပါ။ Nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide contained in cigars can cause heart and lung diseases. Quit smoking. ဆေးရွက်ဘက်ရိပ်သားတွင် ကင်ဆာဖြစ်စေသော ဓာတ်ပစ္စည်းများ၊ ဓာတုဗေဒပစ္စည်းများ ပါဝင်သည်။ ဆေးရွက်မသောက်ပါ။ Cigar contains cancer-causing compounds like nitrosamine, benzo(a)pyrene and others. Quit smoking. Printing requirements:
|
*This new requirements based on the 2021 order relating to standardized packaging of, and printing graphic for health warning images and texts on cigar and tobacco pproducts, effective on 31 December 2024.
[ ] Number of statements
Disclosure of information on relevant constituents and emissions of tobacco products in ASEAN
| Country | Details |
|---|---|
| Singapore (2012) [1] |
Smoking exposes you and those around you to more than 4,000 toxic chemicals, of which at
least 60 can cause cancer. The chemicals include tar, nicotine, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, ammonia and benzene Printing requirements:
|
| Thailand (2021) [10] |
Side panel A:
Side panel B:
Printing requirements:
|
Note: Only Brunei, Philippines, and Thailand prohibit the display of emission yields (tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide) on packages.
[ ] Number of statements
For more detailed information, please visit https://tobaccolabels.seatca.org and refer SEATCA Tobacco Packaging and Labelling Index: Implementation of WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Article 11 in ASEAN Countries (2022).
Tobacco advertising at point-of-sale (POS) in ASEAN
- Ban
- No ban
| COUNTRY | POS Advertising | POS Pack Display |
|---|---|---|
| Myanmar | No Ban | No Ban |
| Philippines | No Ban | No Ban |
| Indonesia* | No Ban | No Ban |
| Lao PDR | Ban | Ban |
| Thailand | Ban | Ban |
| Brunei | Ban | Ban |
| Singapore | Ban | Ban |
| Vietnam | Ban | No Ban (Allowed display of only 1 pack or carton per brand, 2012) |
| Cambodia | Ban | No Ban (Allowed display of only 1 pack or carton per brand, 2012) |
| Malaysia | Ban | No Ban |
*In Indonesia, there are 21 cities/districts that have banned cigarette display at point-of-sale (POS) by local ordinances (as of June 2023).
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