Concerning Figures of People Now Use E-Cigarettes, States Global Health Body
More than 100 million users, featuring at least 15 million youth, now employ e-cigarettes, fueling a fresh wave of nicotine addiction, according to current international health data.
Minors are, usually, nine times more likely than mature individuals to engage in vaping, according to existing international data.
Electronic cigarettes are driving a "new wave" of nicotine dependency, remarked a prominent health expert. "They are marketed as harm reduction but, in reality, are ensnaring kids on nicotine at younger ages and risk undermining generations of improvement."
Young People Being 'Aimed At'
"Countless of individuals are ceasing, or avoiding tobacco consumption thanks to tobacco restriction initiatives by states throughout the world," the representative commented.
"As an answer to this substantial improvement, the tobacco sector is fighting back with recent nicotine products, forcefully targeting adolescents. Administrations must act faster and more vigorously in enacting tested tobacco-control policies," he further stated.
The e-cigarette statistics are an estimate since several countries - 109 in total, and several in African and Southeast Asia - lack data.
Based on the analysis, as of this past February this year, at bare minimum 86 million e-cigarette users were grown-ups, mainly in developed states.
And at bare minimum 15 million youth aged 13 and 15 already use e-cigarettes, based on research from 123 countries.
Although several nations have made efforts to implement e-cigarette policies to combat youth vaping in recent years, by the close of 2024, 62 nations still had no policy in operation, and 74 states had no minimum age at which e-cigarettes are allowed to be purchased, says the medical body.
Simultaneously, tobacco usage has been decreasing - from an estimated 1.38 billion users in 2000 to 1.2 billion in 2024.
Prevalence of tobacco use among women decreased the largest - from 11% in 2010 to 6.6% in 2024.
With men, the drop was from 41.4% in 2010 to 32.5% in 2024.
But a fifth of adults worldwide still employs tobacco.
Smoking is associated to several diseases, including cancer.
Professionals say vaping is far less damaging than tobacco products, and can help you cease smoking. It is not recommended for those who don't smoke.
E-cigarettes do not burn tobacco and avoid generating tar or CO, a couple of the most dangerous components in tobacco smoke. They include nicotine, which might be addictive.
