Introduction:
Tobacco consumption remains one of the main factors of morbidity and mortality with more than 8 million deaths globally each year. Secondhand smoking is also a key factor that provokes the death of more than 1.3 million deaths annually. Despite the fact that many Balkan countries have adopted strong tobacco control policies, in many cases there is a lack of implementation. The current study aimed to assess the progress of the Balkan countries.

Material and Methods:
Data came from the 2023 WHO report on the global tobacco epidemic. for11 Balkan countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Türkiye). Countries were compared on adoption and implementation of tobacco taxation and tobacco-free places, as well as in comparison to 2012 levels.

Results:
In 2022, tobacco prevalence ranged in the Balkan countries from 18% in Albania and Slovenia to 33% in Serbia. Croatia has the highest taxation level (86.0% of retail price) while Albania has the lowest (66.7%). Cigarettes were less affordable in 2022 compared to 2012 in Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. Bans of tobacco use were reported to be in place in healthcare facilities (in all countries except Bosnia and Herzegovina), in government facilities (in all countries except Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia) and pubs and bars (in all countries except Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia). The compliance level ranged across countries.

Conclusions:
Tobacco prevalence is still high in the Balkan countries in comparison to western and northern European countries. Some progress has been made since 2012 in some Balkan countries, however more efforts are needed for adoption and implementation of tobacco control measures.