Maldives: No one born after 2007 can smoke tobacco here

Dubai:  The government of the Maldives has enacted legislation that forever bars an entire generation from legally using, purchasing or selling tobacco products. 

As of November 1, 2025, anyone born on or after January 1, 2007 will never be permitted to use tobacco inside Maldives territory, a move intended to create a “tobacco-free generation”.

The law, ratified by Mohamed Muizzu earlier in the year, amends the country’s Tobacco Control Act to introduce what is being described as a generation-wide ban on tobacco for all individuals born from 2007 onwards.

According to the official statement from the country’s Ministry of Health (Maldives), the measure applies not only to Maldivian citizens but also to all residents and visitors on the islands, to build a healthier future and protect the population from the mounting burden of smoking-related illnesses.

Retailers across the nation have been instructed to enforce strict age checks. Those attempting to sell tobacco to anyone born on or after January 2007, or without proper verification of the buyer’s age, are subject to legal penalties.