Maldives Towards A Cigarette-Free Generation, Prohibition Applies To Birth 2007 And Above

Illustration of Maldives residents smoking. (NBC news)

JAKARTA - The Government of Maldives or Maldives has officially imposed a smoking ban for residents born from January 2007 and above. This policy makes Maldives the first country to completely ban tobacco use for the younger generation.

Quoted from the BBC, on Friday, November 7, 2025, this step is an effort to create a tobacco-free young generation. This is also to reduce the number of cases of tobacco-related diseases in the future.

The restrictions also mark significant changes in tobacco control in Maldives, which previously also raised the legal age of smoking to 21 years and banned imports of e-cigarettes from November 2024.

"This is a good step towards a generation of tobacco-free citizens," said deputy chairman of the Nusantara Maldives Tobacco Control Council, Ahmed Afaal.

This policy applies to all types of tobacco, and retailers are required to verify the age before selling their products.

Not only for natives, tourists who come to Maldives are also required to comply with the applicable tobacco smoking rules. According to Ahmed Afaal, this limit will not worsen the country's tourism.

People don't come to Maldives because they can smoke. They come for the beach, they come for the sea, they come for the sun, and they come for fresh air," he explained.