According to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) report on tobacco use released on Monday, which analyzes smoking trends between 2010 and 2024 and concludes that the epidemic is far from over.
Tobacco use has fallen from 26.2 percent in 2010 to 19.5 percent last year, and the UN Health Agency predicts the numbers will continue to decline.
Chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus acknowledged the progress made but issued a warning about new industry products designed to keep consumers hooked.
“Millions of people are stopping, or not taking up, tobacco use thanks to tobacco control efforts by countries around the world,” he said.
“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. “
Teenagers and electronic cigarettes
The report includes the first global estimate of e-cigarette use for adults and youth.
The numbers are alarming: More than 100 million people around the world are now vaping, including 86 million adults and at least 15 million teenagers ages 13 to 15.
The prevalence of electronic cigarette use among adolescents is on average nine times that of adultsby country. Who is calling on governments to close those loopholes that allow the industry to target the next generation and regulate e-cigarettes and other nicotine products.
“E-cigarettes are fueling a new wave of nicotine addiction“Said Etienne Krug, director of the Department of Social Determinants of Health.
In total, 10 percent of adolescents worldwide reported using one or more types of tobacco products.
Trends vary between genders, regions
In Southeast Asia, once the world's largest regional hotspot, tobacco use among men has almost halved, from 70 percent in 2000 to 37 percent last year. That region alone accounted for more than half of the global decline.
In 2024, Europeans accounted for the highest number of smokers, followed by the Western Pacific, while the lowest prevalence of tobacco use was in Africa.
Projections to 2030 Expect a decline in tobacco use around the world, but governments must do their part to intensify tobacco control, he advises.
“Nearly 20 percent of adults still use tobacco and nicotine products. We can't give in now“said Jeremy Farrar, deputy director general of health promotion.
