World smoking rates decline, but e-cigarette use raises fresh concerns — WHO

Despite global progress in reducing tobacco use, the world remains far from ending the tobacco epidemic, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The global health agency on Monday said the number of tobacco users has fallen from 1.38 billion in 2000 to 1.2 billion in 2024, a reduction of 120 million since 2010, representing a 27 per cent decline in relative terms. 

Yet, tobacco continues to claim millions of lives each year, with one in five adults worldwide still using it.

WHO Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, said millions of people are either quitting or avoiding tobacco use altogether due to stronger control measures by countries around the world.

Mr Ghebreyesus, however, warned that the tobacco industry is fighting back with new nicotine products and aggressive marketing strategies aimed at young people.

“Millions of people are stopping or not taking up tobacco use, thanks to tobacco control efforts by countries around the world,” he said.

“In response to this strong progress, the tobacco industry is fighting back with new nicotine products, aggressively targeting young people.”

He urged governments to act faster and more decisively in enforcing proven tobacco control policies to protect future generations.

Surge in e-cigarette use

E-cigarettes, also known as vapes, are battery-powered devices that heat a liquid containing nicotine and other chemicals, producing vapour that users inhale. 

They are often promoted as a safer alternative to traditional cigarettes, but health experts warn that they can still cause addiction and other health harms.

For the first time, the WHO has estimated global e-cigarette use, and the findings are alarming. 

The report reveals that more than 100 million people worldwide now use e-cigarettes. Of this figure, at least 86 million are adults, mostly in high-income countries, while about 15 million adolescents aged between 13 and 15 are already vaping. 

In countries with available data, children are on average nine times more likely than adults to use e-cigarettes.

The WHO noted that the tobacco industry continues to reinvent its products to sustain nicotine addiction, from conventional cigarettes to e-cigarettes, heated tobacco, and nicotine pouches. 

These products, the organisation said, not only harm users’ health but also threaten the wellbeing of future generations, particularly young people.

Etienne Krug, WHO Director of Health Determinants, Promotion and Prevention, noted that e-cigarettes are fuelling a new wave of nicotine addiction.

She explained that although they are often marketed as harm-reduction tools, in reality, they are hooking children on nicotine at an earlier age and risk undermining decades of progress in tobacco control.

Women leading the quit race

The WHO report shows that while tobacco use has declined among both men and women since 2000, women are quitting faster. 

Women globally met the 2025 reduction target five years early, achieving a 30 per cent drop in 2020.

Tobacco use among women fell from 11 per cent in 2010 to 6.6 per cent in 2024, with the number of female tobacco users dropping from 277 million to 206 million in the same period.

Men, however, are not expected to reach the global target until 2031. More than four out of every five tobacco users today are men, just under one billion globally. 

Male prevalence has declined from 41.4 per cent in 2010 to 32.5 per cent in 2024, but the pace of reduction remains slow.

Regional trends show uneven progress

The decline in tobacco use varies widely across regions. 

In South-East Asia, once considered the global hotspot for tobacco, prevalence among men has nearly halved, from 70 per cent in 2000 to 37 per cent in 2024, accounting for more than half of the global reduction.

Africa, meanwhile, has recorded the lowest tobacco use worldwide, with prevalence dropping to 9.5 per cent in 2024. 

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The region is on track to meet the 30 per cent reduction target, though rapid population growth means the absolute number of users continues to rise.

In the Americas, tobacco use has fallen by 36 per cent to about 14 per cent in 2024, despite data gaps in some countries. 

Europe now ranks as the region with the highest overall prevalence, with nearly one in four adults (24.1 per cent) using tobacco. European women also record the world’s highest female smoking rate at 17.4 per cent.

The Eastern Mediterranean region shows mixed results, with prevalence hovering around 18 per cent and tobacco use still rising in certain countries. 

In the Western Pacific, progress has been slow, with 22.9 per cent of adults using tobacco in 2024, down only slightly from 25.8 per cent in 2010. The region also records the world’s highest tobacco use among men, at 43.3 per cent.

WHO urges stronger tobacco control

The WHO is calling on governments to accelerate implementation of evidence-based tobacco control measures, including the MPOWER policy package and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

The agency also urged countries to regulate new nicotine products, raise taxes, ban advertising, and expand cessation services to help millions more people quit.