A pack of Marlboros costs…

…108% of the average Indian person's daily income!

Here are some other fascinating comparisons from around the world. If you don't see information from your country listed, don't delay further in sending us some! In particular, we would like American groups to check the price of a pack of Marlboros in their community and compare it to that of staple food items. This will help us put the international figures in even greater perspective.

A PACK OF MARLBOROS* COSTS:

$3.50 - U.S. - Oregon
$3.39 - U.S. - Kansas
$2.50 - Italy (5.350 lire)
$1.89 - Uganda (3,500 shillings)
$1.45 - China
$1.40 - Ghana
$1.30 – Bangladesh, India
$1.20 - Panama
$1.13 - Bulgaria
$1.00 – Moldova, Georgia (2.1 Georgian lari)**
$0.80 - Pakistan
$0.75 - Romania

*Marlboros are not sold in Papua New Guinea, but BAT's Benson and Hedges Gold 25s brand sells for $2.00 (6.00 Kina)
**Price is for Marlboro King size of uncertain origin. Marlboro cigarettes from Spain are twice as expensive. "Real" American Marlboros can be triple the cost.

A PACK OF MARLBOROS IS EQUAL TO...

% of Daily Income:
108% - India
66.3% - China
62.5% - Moldova
62% - Pakistan
60% - Papua New Guinea (BAT's Benson and Hedges)
56% - Ghana, Bangladesh*
30% - Romania
28% - Bulgaria
14% - Belgium
6% - U.S. (using Marlboro price in Oregon)**

*15% of average income of the wealthiest 5% of the population
**In the U.S. many people smoke a pack a day (or more), meaning $1000 or more a year goes directly up in smoke (figure thanks to Jerry Gabay of Nuestra Comunidad Sana in Oregon)

Quantity of Rice:
6 kg - Bangladesh
5 kg - China
4.35 kg - Papua New Guinea (BAT's B & H)
3 kg - India
2.5 kg - Pakistan
2 kg - Moldova, Ghana, Georgia, Bulgaria
1.3 kg - Belgium

Quantity of Eggs:
36 - India
24 - Pakistan
23 - Bangladesh
20 - Russia, Belgium
15 - Moldova, Bulgaria, Papua New Guina (BAT's B & H)
13 - Georgia
12 - Panama
10 - Romania

Quantity of Fish:
1 kg - Moldova, Ghana, France
0.5 kg - Pakistan
1 large fresh fish (tilapia) - Uganda
1 average size smoked fish (herring) - Georgia
5 tins Tuna (225 g) - Papua New Guinea (BAT's B & H)

Quantity of Miscellaneous Food Items:
3 hamburgers - China
4 kg cabbage, 12 kg apples, or a bottle of wine- Moldova
12 coconuts, 15 kg sweet potatos, or 1 large watermelon - Papua New Guinea (BAT's B & H)
0.5 kg meat or 6 kg of maize - Ghana
3 liters of soybean oil, 3 kg of lentils, or 6 kg of spinach - Bangladesh
4 liters milk, 4-5 kg tomatoes, 5 kg wheat - India
1.5 kg cucumbers, 2 kg sugar, 300 g of honey - Georgia

Quantity of Non-Food Items:
4 notebooks or 4 pairs of cotton socks - China
3.5 litres of super petrol or stamps for 24 local letters - Papua New Guinea (BAT's B & H)
5 copies of an English daily newspaper - Uganda
25% of cost to visit doctor, 2.5 metro tickets, or 62 minutes on telephone – Belgium
3-4 movie tickets - India

Thanks to the following people for providing information:
Bangladesh – Debra Efroymson, Work for a Better Bangladesh
Belgium - FARES
Bulgaria – George Kotarov, National Center for Public Health
China – Jiangping Sun, Institute of Child and Adolescent Health, Peking University
Georgia - Eteri Saludze, Society Development International Foundation
Ghana - Edith Wellington, Ministry of Health, Health Research Unit
India – Gurmeet Hans, Tata Institute of Social Sciences
Moldova - Lilia Vrabie, CONTACT
Pakistan – Tariq Parvez, Pakistan Society for Cancer Prevention
Panama - Adriano Ferro, Asociacion de Estudiantes de Medicina de la Universidad de Panama
Papua New Guinea - Colin Richardson, Adventist Health Department
Romania - Florin Mihaltan, Romanian Society of Pneumology
Russia - Natalia Alexeeva, Institute of Internal Medicine
Uganda – Phillip Karugaba, The Environmental Action Network Ltd. - Actions Against Tobacco
USA – Ted Collins, Private Social Work Practice/Red Ribbon Coalition (KS)
USA - Sharon De-Mayo (OR)
USA - Jerry Gabay, Nuestra Comunidad Sana (OR)

For more detailed information for specific countries, please contact:

Essential Action
Global Partnerships for Tobacco Control
P.O. Box 19405 ~ Washington, DC 20036
Tel: +1 202-387-8030 ~ Fax: +1 202-234-5176
Email: [email protected]
http://www.essentialaction.org/tobacco