Egypt

Project and Country Background

Egypt has a population of 83.4 million people; 24.4 percent of the adult population and 5.1 percent of the youth population smoke tobacco products.1 An estimated 69,344 people in Egypt die each year from diseases caused by smoking.2

TPackSS worked with in-country collaborators to purchase cigarettes in three major cities: Cairo, Alexandria and Mansoura. Within each city, packs were collected from a sample of 12 economically and socially diverse neighborhoods. Data collectors purchased one of every unique cigarette pack available from vendors selected in each neighborhood. From November 26 to December 6, 2013, data collectors purchased 58 unique cigarette packs.

The tobacco packaging and labeling requirements in effect at the time of data collection were used to assess each tobacco pack’s compliance with the requirements.

Suggested Citation for Information on this Page: Tobacco Pack Surveillance System (TPackSS). Egypt: Project and Country Background. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. http://globaltobaccocontrol.org/tpackss/country/egypt [Insert Last Updated Date].

Browse packs from Egypt

Highlights of Packaging and Labeling Requirements by Data Collection Year

Data collection dates Type of warning Warning label size and layout Number of warnings to be displayed Rotation Rules for misleading descriptors Other warning label requirements considered during coding

Nov. 26 to Dec. 6, 2013

[58 unique packs]

Picture and Text
50% of front, 50% of back

4

All labels displayed concurrently and are intended to be changed every 6 months

Some restrictions

Warning text printed on black background and smoking quit line on a yellow background. Requires the quantity of tar and nicotine be displayed.

Tobacco packaging and labeling in Egypt is regulated by Law No. 52 of 1981 Concerning the Prevention of the Adverse Effects of Tobacco. Law No. 85 of 2002, Law No. 154 of 2007, Decree No. 443 of 2008 and Executive Bylaw of Law No. 52 of 1981 amend or build on Law No. 52 of 1981. In addition, there are many other laws and decrees that supplement Law No. 52 of 1981 and the legislation that followed.3

  1. WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic, Country profile Egypt. (2015). Retrieved April 21, 2016

    from http://www.who.int/tobacco/surveillance/policy/country_profile/egy.pdf?ua=1.

  2. Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 (GBD 2017) Results by Location, Cause, and Risk Factor. Retrieved November 29, 2018

    from http://ihmeuw.org/4noc.

  3. Tobacco Control Laws Country Details for Egypt: Packaging and Labeling. (2015). Retrieved April 21, 2016

    from http://www.tobaccocontrollaws.org/legislation/country/egypt/pl-health-warnings.