Global Vaping Population and Concerns Over Youth Addiction
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that over 100 million people worldwide vape with e-cigarettes, including at least 86 million adults and 15 million adolescents aged 13 to 15. According to the WHO’s ‘Global Report on Trends in Tobacco Use 2000-2024 and Forecasts 2025-2030’, based on 2,034 national surveys covering 97% of the global population, adolescents have, on average, nine times more likelihood of vaping than adults in countries with available data.
Key Figures and Concerns
- Vaping Population: Over 100 million people globally, with 86 million adults and 15 million adolescents using e-cigarettes.
- Youth Vaping: Adolescents have nine times higher vaping rates compared to adults in countries with available data.
- Current Tobacco Users: Approximately 40 million adolescents aged 13 to 15 consume tobacco, representing one in ten children worldwide.
WHO Criticizes Tobacco and Nicotine Industries
Jeremy Farrar, WHO’s Assistant Director-General for Promotion of Health and Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases, criticizes tobacco and nicotine industries for deliberately targeting the next generation with new, often unregulated products. He emphasizes the need to prevent this trend from continuing.
“E-cigarettes are driving a new wave of nicotine addiction. Marketed as a harm reduction solution, they are actually hooking children on nicotine at an earlier age and risk undermining decades of progress,” warns Etienne Krug, WHO’s Director of Department for Health and Social Determinants, Promotion and Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases.
WHO Recommendations for Regulating E-cigarettes
Alison Comar, the technical officer and lead author of the report, reminds that WHO recommends all countries regulate e-cigarettes. She suggests modifying regulations to cover new products or regulating them in any other possible way.
- Regulation Recommendations: Modify regulations to cover all new products or regulate them in any other possible way. Countries that have banned these products show extremely low prevalence rates.
Decline in Tobacco Use Over the Past 25 Years
Despite the rise in e-cigarette use, the WHO report shows a decrease in tobacco users from 1.38 billion in 2000 to 1 billion by 2024. Since 2010, the number of tobacco users has dropped by 120 million, a 27% relative decrease. However, WHO warns that tobacco still affects one in five adults globally, causing millions of preventable deaths annually.
“Millions are quitting or not starting tobacco use due to global tobacco control efforts,” says Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “In response to this solid progress, the tobacco industry is countering with new nicotine products targeted aggressively at youth. Governments must act faster and more firmly in enforcing proven tobacco control policies,” he adds.
Women Quit Tobacco More Than Men
Although tobacco use has consistently decreased among both genders across all age groups from 2000 to 2024, women have led the cessation process, reaching the global reduction target five years earlier in 2020 at 30%.
- Women’s Tobacco Use: Reduced from 11% in 2010 to 6.6% in 2024, with consumers dropping from 277 million to 206 million.
- Men’s Tobacco Use: Expected to reach the target only by 2031. Currently, more than four out of five global tobacco users are men, with nearly a billion men still using tobacco.
Europe Leads but Needs More Action
Europe has the highest global prevalence, with 24.1% of adults using tobacco in 2024, and European women having the highest global prevalence at 17.4%. While Europe is considered a leader in tobacco control policies, only one Western European country has fully implemented the MPOWER tobacco control package.
“Although Europe is known for its progressive policies, only one Western European country has implemented the full MPOWER tobacco control package. Their results show success in reducing prevalence, but many European countries rely on the EU Directive, which we call the minimum mandatory standard. We encourage countries to go beyond this EU directive,” states Comar.
Necessary Measures by WHO
WHO urges governments worldwide to intensify tobacco control. This includes fully applying and enforcing the MPOWER tobacco control set of measures and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
- Key Actions: Close loopholes allowing tobacco and nicotine industries to target children and regulate new nicotine products like e-cigarettes.
- Additional Recommendations: Increase tobacco taxes, ban advertising, and expand quit-smoking services so more people can successfully quit.
“Nearly 20% of adults still use tobacco and nicotine products. We cannot afford to relax now,” asserts Jeremy Farrar, WHO’s Assistant Director-General for Promotion of Health and Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases.
