Global E-cigarette Users Exceed 80 Million in 2021, Up 20%

On April 17th, the UK’s public health agency Knowledge Action Change (KAC) released the latest research from the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction (GSTHR) project, showing that the number of e-cigarette users worldwide exceeded 80 million. From 2020 to 2021, the number of e-cigarette users increased by nearly 20%.

According to the latest research from the GSTHR project published by the UK’s public health agency Knowledge Action Change (KAC), the number of e-cigarette users worldwide has significantly increased.

On April 17th, a new peer-reviewed article published in the journal “Drugs, Habits, and Social Policies” estimated that there were 82 million e-cigarette users globally in 2021. The number of e-cigarette users in 2021 was 20% higher than in 2020.

Key conclusions of the paper include:

1. Number of E-cigarette Users

In 2021, there were 82 million e-cigarette users worldwide: 9.2 million in the Eastern Mediterranean region; 5.6 million in Africa; 20.1 million in Europe; 16.8 million in the Americas; 16 million in the Western Pacific; and 14.3 million in Southeast Asia.

2. Growth in User Numbers

From 2018 to 2021, the number of e-cigarette users increased by nearly 30%. From 2020 to 2021, the number of e-cigarette users increased by nearly 20%.

3. Global Smoking Numbers

In 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that there were nearly 1 billion (984 million) smokers worldwide, accounting for about one-fifth of the adult population.

Approximately 80% of smokers live in low- and middle-income countries, with 46% living in three countries: China, India, and Indonesia.

4. E-cigarette Market Sales Size

E-cigarette sales market value data for 2021 in various regions:

• United States market size: $10.3 billion, the largest market
• Canadian market size: $1.4 billion
• Western Europe market size: $6.6 billion
• Asia-Pacific market size: $4.4 billion
• Eastern Europe market size: $1.6 billion
• Middle East and Africa market size: $490 million
• Latin America market size: $122 million
• Australia market size: $118 million

Market size growth from 2015 to 2021:

• Oceania: 1.010 times
• Latin America: 1.012 times
• Middle East and Africa: 1.028 times
• Eastern Europe: 1.106 times
• Asia-Pacific: 1.272 times
• Western Europe: 1.480 times
• North America: 1.976 times

In the UK, the proportion of adults using e-cigarette products increased from 1.7% in 2012 to 8.3% in 2022.

5. E-cigarette Popularity

In the European region, the number of e-cigarette users reached 20 million, with a prevalence rate of 2.3%. In the United States, the number of e-cigarette users reached 16.8 million, with a prevalence rate of 1.8%.

6. E-cigarettes Banned in 36 Countries

E-cigarettes are banned in 36 countries, while another 84 countries have regulatory and legislative voids.

Read the full report here: Estimation of the global number of vapers: 82 million worldwide in 2021