Smoking in Singapore is subjected to restrictions enacted through various legislations such as the Smoking (Prohibition in Certain Places) Act, which was first enacted in 1970.
In the 2017 National Health Population Survey, conducted by theMinistry of Health andHealth Promotion Board, it was found that 12% of the population surveyed, aged between 18-69 years, were daily smokers; a decline from 18.3% in 1992.[1]
Smoking prevalence among students in secondary schools, polytechnics, andInstitute of Technical Education dropped from 8% (survey period: 2011-13) to 4% (survey period: 2014-16). Among Singapore residents aged 18-29 years, 9.9% surveyed in 2017 smoked, a decline from 17.2% in 2007. The average age of smokers who started smoking daily was 18 years old in 2017.[2]
Smoking was firstbanned in buses, cinemas and theatres in September 1970,[3] and it was extended to indoor locations where it is frequented by most people in August 1977. After theKing's Cross fire in 1987, smoking was banned in theSingapore MRT.[3]
On 1 July 2005, the ban was extended to bus interchanges and shelters, public toilets and public swimming complexes whereas from 1 July 2006, the ban was extended to coffee shops andhawker centres.
On 1 July 2007, the ban was extended to entertainment nightspots, including pubs, bars, lounges, dance clubs, and nightclubs.[4] The owner of the premises is legally responsible for the non-smoking compliance of the customers.[4] The law allows for the construction of designated smoking rooms which can take up to 10% of the total indoor space, or outdoor smoking areas that do not exceed 20% of the outdoor refreshment area.[4]
On 1 January 2009, the ban was extended to all children'splaygrounds, exercise areas, markets, underground and multi-story car parks, ferry terminals and jetties. It was also extended to non-air-conditioned areas in offices, factories, shops, shopping complexes and lift lobbies,[5] and within 5 metres (16 ft) of entrances and exits.[6]
On 22 November 2010, citizens of Singapore supported the Towards Tobacco-Free Singapore online campaign. The campaign promotes a proposal (which was published in the British medical journalTobacco Control) to prevent the supply of tobacco toSingaporeans born from the year 2000 which would result in a gradual phasing-out of tobacco in Singapore. The launch was put forward by a team consisting of alung cancer surgeon, medical officers, a university professor and a civil servant.[7]
On 15 January 2013, the ban was extended to all common areas of the residential block including link ways from bus stops to residential blocks, void decks, corridors, stairwells, stairways and multi-purpose halls, in addition to covered walkways and link ways, all pedestrian overhead bridges, 5 m from the bus stops and hospital outdoor compounds. However, the residential block smoking ban was not mandatory as there are more people smoking except when during wakes or funerals.[8]
On 1 June 2016, the ban was extended to reservoirs, as well as parks managed byJTC, town councils, andNParks. The ban also includesSAF andMHA camps, where smoking is already banned.[9]
From 30 June 2017, food & beverage outlets are no longer allowed new smoking corners.[10]
On 1 October 2017, the ban was extended to autonomous universities' compounds, private hire vehicles, private education institutes, within 5m of all educational institutions, excursion buses and trishaws.[11]
On 1 January 2019, smoking was banned along the Orchard Road shopping district. Smokers can only light up within designated smoking areas in the precinct. Smoking corners in eateries within the precinct were also removed.[12]
Smokers found flouting the rules are fined a minimum 200Singapore dollars[13] up to a maximum of S$1000 if convicted in court,[13] while the managers of the establishments are fined S$200 for a first offence, and S$500 for a subsequent offence.[4]Singapore is famous for being clean, with enforced penalties forlittering;[14] cigarette butt littering is one of the greatest high-rise littering problems.[15]
Staff working for certain government sectors, such as the National Recycling Program, are not allowed to smoke while carrying out their duties.[16]
In 2018, it was reported by MPs that they received many complaints from their residents about second-hand smoke entering their homes from neighbouring units.[17]
This became a serious issue during thecircult breaker lockdown in 2020, which forced many people to spend much longer at home. At the same time, smokers were not allowed to leave their homes to smoke, as it was not considered an essential purpose. It was reported that theNational Environment Agency (NEA) received 11,400 complaints related to smoking in April 2020 or 2,000 cases more than the same period of 2019.[18]
In October 2020, the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Sustainability and Environment called for a ban on residents smoking near windows or at the balconies of HDB flats and private apartments.[19]Louis Ng, head of the GPC and Member of Parliament (MP) forNee Soon Group Representation Constituency (GRC) argued that second hand smoke is a “public health concern”, while at the same time noting that some 383 people in Singapore had died from second hand smoke.[20][21]
Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State in the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, replied that the ban will not solve the issue but the government will help to increase "greater social responsibility", find more ways to mediate between neighbours in such incidents, and also related agencies to better address such incidents.[17][19] Enforcement of the ban will be hard as more intrusive monitoring of residents' home will be required.[19]
Singapore has banned the importation, sale and distribution of electronic cigarettes since 2018.[22]
Electronic cigarettes, or known as E-cigarettes or vapes, are currently prohibited under Section 16 (1) of the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Act, which is enforced by theHealth Sciences Authority (HSA). This legislation prohibits the importation, distribution, sale or offer for sale of any confectionery or other food product or any toy or other article that is designed to resemble a tobacco product or the packaging of which is designed to resemble the packaging commonly associated with tobacco products. Those guilty of the offence are liable to a fine of up to $5,000 upon conviction.[23] According toHealth MinisterKhaw Boon Wan, e-cigarettes are the industry's attempt to attract new users and were marketed to appeal to younger customers, including women.[24] Possessing, using or buying vapes carries a maximum fine of $2,000.[25]
In 2023, MacPherson Youth Network launched an anti-vape campaign with youth charity Bilby Community Development. Smokers who voluntarily surrender their vaping devices received a $30 gift voucher each and will not be fined by theHealth Sciences Authority (HSA). The campaign ended in January 2024 with 70 vapes surrendered.[26]
In July 2025, vape disposal bins were installed withincommunity centres around Singapore to encourage smokers to surrender their vapes.[27] The bins were secured to prevent tampering and theft of disposed vapes. Cameras were also installed to monitor the bins as a deterrent.[27] There were concerns that the camera footages would be used against those who disposed of their vapes through monitoring or identification[27] as during theCOVID-19 pandemic in Singapore, data from the contact tracing app and tokenTraceTogether was used in the investigation of thePunggol Field murder.[28] HSA later clarified that there they "will not be tracing the identities of any persons who had binned the e-vaporisers".[28]
TheMinistry of Health also planned to classifyetomidate, which is currently used to lace vape juices, as a Class C drug under theMisuse of Drugs Act (Singapore).[29]
In August 2025, during theSingapore National Day rally,Prime MinisterLawrence Wong said that vaping will be treated as a drug issue and will impose stiffer penalties on vaping.[30]
On 28 August, Health MinisterOng Ye Kung said a third of vapers in Singapore are under 18 years old, while more than half are below 30 years old.[31] From 2022 to 2024, about 3,100 students from primary and secondary schools, junior colleges and Millenia Institute with 800 students from the institutes of higher learning were caught vaping annually.[32]
As of late August 2025, approximately 260 schools in Singapore have been provided with nicotine test kits. Selected campuses have also implemented the use ofmetal detectors to screen for vaping devices, and schools have promoted a 'peer vigilance culture', encouraging students to report instances of vaping among their classmates. Designated staff in schools are being trained and authorised to enforce rules against the use and distribution of vaping devices, while institutes of higher learning are increasing campus patrols.[33]
Starting from 1 September 2025, stronger penalties will be imposed on vaping. Vape users faced increased fines of $500 and $700 for under 18 and adults respectively. Second time offenders will need to attend rehabilitation programme while repeat offenders will be prosecuted and fined a maximum of $2,000.[34] TheMinistry of Education also allowed schools to "mete out disciplinary action, adjust the conduct grade of the student offender, and take educative and rehabilitative measures" on top of penalties provided by the law.[32] Other additional penalties for civil servants were also introduced.[32]
