‘Alarming’ number of people vape, global health leaders warn

An “alarming” number of people vape, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said as it released its first ever estimates on the number of people around the world who use e-cigarettes.

The global health body warned that the stop smoking aids are “hooking kids on nicotine earlier and risk undermining decades of progress”.

It has estimated that more than 100 million people vape around the world.

This includes at least 86 million adults, mostly in high-income countries, and almost 15 million children aged 13 to 15.

The WHO’s report on global tobacco trends states that some 1.9% of adults vape.

And 7.2% of teenagers aged 13 to 15 use e-cigarettes, it added, warning that figures on vape use among adolescents are “almost certainly an undercount”.

It said that based on data available, rates of vaping among 13 to 15-year-olds are “on average nine times higher than the prevalence among adults”.

The authors wrote: “adolescents are generally using the products at a higher rate than adults.

“This finding is not surprising considering 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 WHO report highlights how fewer people are smoking cigarettes but the “tobacco epidemic is far from over”.

Global tobacco users dropped from 1.38 billion in 2000 to 1.2 billion in 2024, The WHO said.

“Millions of people are stopping, or not taking up, tobacco use thanks to tobacco control efforts by countries around the world,” said The WHO’s director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

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

“Governments must act faster and stronger in implementing proven tobacco control policies.”

Hazel Cheeseman, chief executive of the charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), said: “The growth in popularity of vapes in the UK has largely been due to their use as a quit aid in smoking.

“But in the last few years vaping has increased among teenagers, and this needs urgent action.

“Products that contain addictive substances must be properly regulated.

“This is what the Tobacco and Vapes Bill – returning to Parliament later this month – will do, ensuring vapes are not promoted to children, while making sure they remain available for adults who want to stop smoking.”