WHO Warns of Rising Global E-Cigarette Use Among Youth as Traditional Tobacco Declines

Geneva — At least 15 million adolescents aged 13 to 15 are using e-cigarettes worldwide, with young people on average nine times more likely to vape than adults in countries with available data, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.

In its first global estimate of e-cigarette use, the WHO reported that over 100 million people around the world now use e-cigarettes, including at least 86 million adults. Most adult users are in high-income countries, reflecting the shifting landscape of nicotine consumption.

The report comes amid a global decline in traditional tobacco use. The number of tobacco users has dropped to 1.2 billion in 2024, down from 1.38 billion in 2000. This progress, largely driven by stricter regulations and public health campaigns, is now being challenged by the rapid rise of alternative nicotine products such as vapes.

Tobacco companies have promoted e-cigarettes as harm reduction tools aimed at helping adult smokers quit. However, WHO officials warn that these products are fueling a “new wave of nicotine addiction,” especially among youth.

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“They are marketed as harm reduction but, in reality, are hooking kids on nicotine earlier and risk undermining decades of progress,” said Dr. Etienne Krug, Director of the WHO’s Department for Social Determinants of Health, Promotion, and Prevention.

Governments and health authorities now face the difficult task of balancing the potential benefits of e-cigarettes in helping smokers quit with the growing concern about their popularity among non-smoking youth.

Some scientific research supports the effectiveness of e-cigarettes in smoking cessation. A 2024 review by Cochrane, a respected network of health researchers, found that smokers using e-cigarettes were more likely to quit than those using nicotine patches or gum. However, the review also emphasized the need for more data, particularly regarding the long-term health impacts of vaping.

The global decline in tobacco use is not uniform. In Southeast Asia, male tobacco use dropped dramatically from 70% in 2000 to 37% in 2024, contributing significantly to the global decrease. Meanwhile, Europe now records the highest tobacco use globally, with 24.1% of adults using tobacco. European women also have the highest tobacco use rate among females worldwide, at 17.4%.

Despite the progress, the WHO warned that nearly one in five adults globally still use tobacco products. The organization called for stronger enforcement of tobacco control laws and tighter regulation of emerging nicotine products, including e-cigarettes.

As the industry adapts and evolves, public health experts stress the urgency of keeping pace with emerging threats to ensure that progress in reducing tobacco-related harm is not reversed.