15 Million Teens Now Vape Globally, WHO Sounds Alarm 

News Desk

Islamabad: At least 15 million adolescents aged 13 to 15 are using e-cigarettes globally, with young people nearly nine times more likely to vape than adults, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Monday.

In its first global estimate of e-cigarette use, the WHO revealed that over 100 million people worldwide are now vaping, including at least 86 million adults, primarily in high-income countries.

While global tobacco use continues to decline — dropping from 1.38 billion users in 2000 to 1.2 billion in 2024 — the report warned that the tobacco industry is increasingly turning to alternative nicotine products, such as vapes, to offset falling cigarette sales.

Tobacco companies maintain that e-cigarettes are designed to help adult smokers quit and reduce harm compared to traditional tobacco. However, WHO officials say these products are fueling a new generation of nicotine addiction.

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

Governments around the world are now struggling to balance the potential benefits of e-cigarettes for smokers with the risks of increased youth addiction.

A 2024 Cochrane review found that smokers were more likely to quit using e-cigarettes than with traditional nicotine patches or gum. Yet, the study cautioned that long-term health impacts remain uncertain, and more data is needed to assess the safety of vaping.

The decline in tobacco use also shows sharp regional contrasts. Male tobacco use in Southeast Asia has nearly halved — from 70% in 2000 to 37% in 2024 — accounting for more than half of the global drop.

Meanwhile, Europe now has the highest tobacco prevalence worldwide, with 24.1% of adults using tobacco and European women reporting the highest female smoking rates at 17.4%.

Despite progress, WHO warned that nearly one in five adults around the world still use tobacco products and urged governments to strengthen enforcement of tobacco control laws and toughen regulation of e-cigarettes and other new nicotine products.