The World Health Organisation (WHO) has estimated that an 'alarming' 100 million people vape globally, including at least 86 million adults and nearly 15 million children aged 13 to 15. The global health body warned that e-cigarettes are 'hooking kids on nicotine earlier' and risk undermining decades of progress in tobacco control.
According to the WHO's report on global tobacco trends, 1.9 per cent of adults vape, compared to 7.2 per cent of teenagers aged 13 to 15. The report notes that figures on adolescent vaping are 'almost certainly an undercount' and that rates among this age group are on average nine times higher than among adults.
The authors stated that the industry is 'aggressively targeting children and young people, including through new digital channels that are underregulated.' Etienne Krug, director of the WHO's Health Determinants, Promotion and Prevention department, said: 'E-cigarettes are fuelling a new wave of nicotine addiction. They are marketed as harm reduction but, in reality, are hooking kids on nicotine earlier and risk undermining decades of progress.'
The report also highlights a decline in global tobacco users, from 1.38 billion in 2000 to 1.2 billion in 2024. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: 'Millions of people are stopping, or not taking up, tobacco use thanks to tobacco control efforts. In response to this strong progress, the tobacco industry is fighting back with new nicotine products, aggressively targeting young people.'
In the UK, Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), noted that while vapes have largely been used as quit aids, vaping among teenagers has increased and 'needs urgent action.' She welcomed the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which aims to regulate vapes properly and prevent promotion to children while maintaining availability for adult smokers.
