According to the chart, as I understand it rather vaguely, 143.6 billion pounds of tobacco were used globally in 1994, declining by about 20% in 1995 in a then world population of 5.8 billion. The October 12, 1999 figure had increased to 6 billion population in the world. The chart indicates that 2000 billion (in an unstated currency) had been spent, and that 3 million had died in tobacco related illnesses. Based on this chart, it would seem that tobacco consumption has declined fairly broadly. I am very doubtful about these figures having any accuracy on a very broad basis.
It is true that in countries where there are strong governmentally backed campaigns to decrease smoking, or where the government imposes a very serious "sin" tax on such products as tobacco, there may be an actual decline in tobacco usage. What is happening, more broadly, however, is that as developed countries are successful in diminishing the rate of tobacco usage, the tobacco companies are working hard to retain smokers and to influence young people to begin smoking. In a cynical manner, also, is that these tobacco products are being sold overseas, with the effect that more and more young people are beginning to become smokers. The more tobacco that peor1le, especially young people use, the more likely that they will become seriously addicted to tobacco. Tobacco rarely is used in moderation, since it is almost always addictive.
I suspect that instead of tobacco usage declining on a world wide basis, it is simply being shifted from the developed societies to the developing or emerging countries. This is a pity.