WHO: Smoking Declines, But Youth Vaping Surges to 100M+ Users

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WHO Tobacco Report

The world is smoking less, but the global tobacco epidemic is far from over, with one in five adults worldwide still addicted to tobacco, according to a new global trends report from the World Health Organization (WHO). While tobacco control efforts have successfully reduced the number of tobacco users from 1.38 billion in 2000 to 1.2 billion in 2024, the WHO warns that the tobacco industry is fighting back with new nicotine products, like e-cigarettes, which are aggressively targeting and hooking young people.

“Millions of people are stopping, or not taking up, tobacco use thanks to tobacco control efforts,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “In response to this strong progress, the tobacco industry is fighting back with new nicotine products… Governments must act faster and stronger.”

For the first time, the WHO has estimated global e-cigarette use, revealing alarming numbers: more than 100 million people worldwide are now vaping. This includes at least 86 million adults and a concerning 15 million adolescents (aged 13–15). The report highlights that in countries with available data, children are, on average, nine times more likely than adults to vape. “E-cigarettes are fuelling a new wave of nicotine addiction,” said Etienne Krug, WHO Director of Health Determinants. “They are marketed as harm reduction but, in reality, are hooking kids on nicotine earlier and risk undermining decades of progress.”

1759827036 WHO Global Tobacco and Nicotine Trends 2024 scaled

The report also detailed a gender disparity in quitting. Women have been leading the charge, with female tobacco use prevalence dropping from 11% in 2010 to just 6.6% in 2024. In contrast, men, who account for over four out of five tobacco users globally, are quitting at a much slower pace. Today, just under 1 billion men still use tobacco.

Regionally, South-East Asia has seen the most significant progress, with male smoking prevalence nearly halving since 2000. Europe now has the highest prevalence globally at 24.1%, with European women having the highest female prevalence worldwide at 17.4%. The Western Pacific region shows the slowest progress, with the highest male prevalence of all regions at 43.3%.

The WHO is urging governments everywhere to step up tobacco control measures, including fully implementing the MPOWER package, raising tobacco taxes, banning advertising, expanding cessation services, and closing loopholes that allow the industry to target children with new nicotine products like e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches.

Matthew Ma
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