As China has grown more affluent in recent years its health profile has evolved to more closely resemble that of a developed nation. For instance, a 2002 survey estimated 160 million people in China suffer from hypertension, more than 260 million people are overweight or obese, and about 20 million have diabetes. Though some of these figures overlap, overall around 80 percent of all deaths in China are now directly due to these and other chronic diseases including cancer — a proportion similar to that of a typical developed country.
Preventing and controlling this growing burden of illness is becoming a priority for the Ministry of Health. WHO is working with government agencies at central and provincial level to identify and implement cost-effective strategies — including in the area of tobacco control in a country with more than 320 million smokers, most of whom are men.