Four-fifths of the world's countries have failed to implement a single significant measure to fight smoking, according to a World Health Organisation report designed to help intensify anti-tobacco efforts.

Just 5 per cent of the global population is protected by national smoke-free laws, or by bans on advertising and promotion, says the study, released yesterday.

It marks a first attempt to measure compliance with the global Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, approved by the WHO's member states in 2005.

The report estimates that 100m people were killed during the 20th century by tobacco and that a further 1bn may die from its effects in the 21st.

Smoking is the single most preventable cause of death worldwide, it says, responsible each year for 5m deaths from lung cancer, heart disease and other illnesses - more than the deaths from Aids, tuberculosis and malaria combined.

But it highlights poor compliance with the six measures judged most effective in tackling smoking, especially in developing countries where tobacco companies are concentrating their marketing and sales efforts.

Margaret Chan, director-general of the WHO, said: "While efforts to combat tobacco are gathering momentum, virtually every country needs to do more."

The report offers a new way to assess governments' activities and hold them accountable for the first time by measuring their use of six widely-tested policies it calls "Mpower".

It says the most important policy to limit smoking - tobacco taxes - could be significantly raised in most countries. Taxes already generate 500 times more in revenues than what governments spend on anti-tobacco efforts, giving scope for a sharp increase in support.

The other policies - based on the best current evidence of what works - are banning advertising, promotion and sponsorship; protecting people from second-hand smoke; warning everyone about the dangers of tobacco; offering help to people who want to quit; and carefully monitoring the epidemic and prevention measures.

The study suggests that "moderate" or "complete" policies on smoking cessation programmes are among the most popular control measures around the world, followed by advertising bans, taxation and smoke-free environments, with health warnings the -weakest.

The report was sponsored by Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York City, who has given $125m for tobacco-control work.

Mr Bloomberg said: "For the first time we have both a rigorous approach to stop the tobacco epidemic and solid data to hold us all accountable. While tobacco control measures are sometimes controversial, they save lives and governments need to step up and do the right thing."

He has helped introduce a number of tough measures in New York City, including a ban on smoking in restaurants and bars, but New York State rules prevent him from unilaterally raising taxes, imposing more explicit health warnings or banning tobacco advertising.