According to a recent report from the World Health Organization (WHO), Europe has emerged as the global leader in tobacco use, surpassing Southeast Asia. The report highlights that approximately 24.1 percent of individuals aged 15 and older in Europe engage in tobacco use, making it the highest prevalence rate among all WHO regions. Notably, women in the broader European region exhibit a significant tobacco use rate of 17.4 percent, marking the highest global figures for this demographic.
Global vaping trends raise concerns
The 2024 WHO report also presents global vaping statistics for the first time, indicating alarming trends, particularly among the youth. In light of these findings, the European Commission is intensifying its efforts against tobacco and vaping products. EU health and tax commissioners are advocating for increased taxes on both tobacco and vaping products to mitigate the incidence of smoking-related diseases, including cancer and heart ailments.
“The tobacco industry is fighting back with new nicotine products, aggressively targeting young people,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s Director-General, urging governments to expedite the implementation of effective tobacco control measures.
As of 2024, there are an estimated 1.2 billion tobacco users globally, aged 15 years and older. While there is a worldwide decline in tobacco prevalence, the rate of decrease in Europe is notably slower compared to other regions. The WHO’s findings encompass 53 countries, extending as far east as Russia, corroborated by a Eurobarometer survey conducted in June 2024, which similarly revealed that 24 percent of individuals in the EU smoke tobacco.
Shifting trends in tobacco consumption
Since the year 2000, tobacco use in Europe has significantly decreased from nearly 35 percent to just over 24 percent in 2020. In contrast, Southeast Asia has witnessed a more dramatic decline, with tobacco consumption plummeting from approximately 54 percent to over 23 percent within the same time frame.
The report also reveals that over 86 million adults globally vaped in 2024, with the Americas and Europe exhibiting the highest usage rates, at 4.8 percent and 4.6 percent, respectively. Among adolescents aged 13 to 15, around 7.2 percent are reported to use e-cigarettes worldwide, equating to an estimated 14.7 million children. However, the WHO cautions that this total may be an undercount, as only 75 percent of the global population is included in national vaping surveys.
Etienne Krug, head of health determinants, promotion and prevention at the WHO, stated, “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.”
European leaders are increasingly vocal against vaping. Tax Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra emphasized the urgency of addressing these issues, stating that vapes are “killing our kids,” and he is committed to extending the Tobacco Taxation Directive to cover new products. Meanwhile, Health Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi expressed a desire to align minimum taxes on vapes with those on tobacco during a health conference in Austria.