International WHO: Proportion of smokers is falling - but vaping is a danger
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the use of cigarettes and other tobacco products is becoming increasingly rare. The proportion of smokers worldwide is estimated to be around 19 percent, compared to around 23 percent ten years ago.
06.10.2025, 16:24
SDA
"Thanks to the tobacco control efforts of countries around the world, millions of people are quitting tobacco or not even starting in the first place," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
However, e-cigarettes are playing a growing role. The trend here is alarming. More than 100 million people worldwide are now vaping, according to the WHO, citing figures it has collected for the first time. The product is particularly popular among young people.
Vaping as a danger
E-cigarettes are fueling a new wave of nicotine addiction, said WHO expert Etienne Krug. "They are marketed as harm reduction, but in reality they make children addicted to nicotine earlier and risk undermining decades of progress."
The liquids vaporized in electronic cigarettes contain fewer harmful substances than burning tobacco. Nevertheless, health experts warn of the dangers.
Great success in Asia
The decline in tobacco consumption is mainly due to major successes in South-East Asia, the WHO reported. There, the proportion of men in the population who smoke has halved since 2000. In Europe, the decline is less pronounced. In contrast to the rest of the world, there has been little change here, especially among women. 17.4 percent of women in Europe smoked - by far the highest figure in the world.
The WHO appealed to governments to continue the intensive fight against tobacco addiction. This involves higher tobacco taxes, advertising bans and the expansion of cessation services so that millions more people can quit smoking. "We must not let up now," said WHO prevention expert Jeremy Farrar.
