Global Youth Smoking Trends Survey: E-cigarette Users Surpass Cigarette Users

On May 23, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Tobacco Industry Watchdog Organization "STOP" released a report titled "Attracting the Next Generation," aiming to urge governments around the world to protect adolescents from the harms of the tobacco and nicotine industry.

In response to the upcoming World No Tobacco Day (May 31), several governments, health organizations, and regulatory bodies have started releasing information on the smoking habits of youth in their respective countries. 2FIRSTS has conducted a comprehensive analysis of the data on youth smoking rates released by various countries.

Here is the detailed information:

Global teenage smoking trends: Teenage smoking rates are declining, while e-cigarette usage has surpassed traditional cigarettes.

The Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) study, initiated by the WHO, is currently the largest school-based survey. Conducted every four years in partnership with the WHO European Regional Office, the study includes 280,000 adolescents aged 11, 13, and 15 from 44 countries worldwide. The report aims to clarify the current status, gender differences, age, and the role of social inequality in substance use among adolescents (smoking, e-cigarette use, drinking, binge drinking, and marijuana use).

The latest data from the 2021/2022 HBSC survey shows that approximately 37 million children aged 13 to 15 worldwide are using tobacco. In 2022, the smoking rate among adolescents aged 11 to 15 reached 13%, a 2% decrease from four years ago.

Although the smoking rate among teenagers has declined, e-cigarettes and other new tobacco and nicotine products are gaining popularity among young people. In most countries, the use of e-cigarettes has surpassed cigarette use, with the youth e-cigarette usage rate even surpassing that of adults.

The study revealed that the smoking rate among 15-year-old teenagers is 15%, while the e-cigarette usage rate is 19.5%. Within this age group, the percentage of 15-year-old boys using e-cigarettes has risen to 26%, and the percentage of 15-year-old girls using e-cigarettes has risen to 40%. Among 13-year-old teenagers, the smoking rate is 5.5% and the e-cigarette usage rate is 9%. Nearly 10% of 11-year-old teenagers reported that they have at least tried an e-cigarette.

Smoking Among Teenagers in Various Countries

United States: Girl e-cigarette usage rates only slightly lower than adults.

The Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University (FAU) has released data from a risk behavior survey conducted on 57,006 adolescents in grades 9-12 from 2015 to 2021. According to the survey, e-cigarette use among American high school students in grades 9-12 decreased to 5% in 2021, but has more than doubled since 2015. In 2021, the proportion of girls using e-cigarettes (5.6%) was higher than boys (4.5%), increasing by 125% since 2015. In 2021, the rate of e-cigarette use among girls (5.6%) was only slightly lower than the 6% rate among adults in 2022.

United Kingdom: Usage of e-cigarettes among young people triples in two years

A report on youth smoking conducted by the United Kingdom's ban on smoking and health organization, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), was released. The study, conducted between February and March 2024, surveyed 13,266 British adults aged 18 and older as the adult sample, and 2,349 youths aged 11 to 17 as the youth sample. It found a significant increase in e-cigarette use among the 11-17 age group compared to before the pandemic, rising from 4.4% in 2019 to 7.6% in 2024.

In addition, a study conducted by University College London (UCL) examined the e-cigarette and smoking habits of 132,252 British individuals from July 2016 to May 2023. The study found that from May 2021 to May 2023, the smoking rate among young people aged 18 to 24 in the UK dropped from 25% to 21%, while overall nicotine use increased from 28% to 35%. During this period, the proportion of e-cigarette users in this age group tripled, rising from 9% to 29%. Researchers concluded that the decrease in smoking rates among 18 to 24 year olds was most pronounced, with the largest increase in e-cigarette use, attributed to the popularity of disposable e-cigarettes in the country.

Southeast Asia: Youth e-cigarette usage rates on the rise

According to the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (GYTS) conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO), the use of cigarettes among 13 to 15-year-old adolescents in countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines has decreased, while the use of e-cigarettes continues to rise. In 2022, the prevalence of e-cigarette use among boys in Malaysia was 23.5% and 6.2% among girls. In Thailand, 20.2% of boys and 15% of girls were using e-cigarettes, while in the Philippines, 20.9% of boys and 7.5% of girls were using e-cigarettes in 2019.

Data from the Global Adult Tobacco Survey released in 2023 shows that the number of e-cigarette users in Malaysia has increased significantly by 600% over the past 12 years, rising from 0.8% in 2011 to 5.8% in 2023. Among them, the percentage of e-cigarette users in the 15 to 24 age group has increased from 1.1% in 2011 to 8.6% in 2023.

According to a report from the Vietnamese Ministry of Health, the smoking rate among the 13-17 age group decreased from 5.36% in 2013 to 2.78% in 2019, while the smoking rate among the 13-15 age group decreased from 2.5% to 1.9%. However, the use of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco among teenagers is on the rise: among the 13-17 age group, the rate of e-cigarette use increased from 2.6% in 2019 to 8.1% in 2023; among the 13-15 age group, it increased from 3.5% in 2022 to 8% in 2023.

Australia: Usage rates surge among 18-24 year old demographic

The latest report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) shows a significant increase in the usage of e-cigarettes among young people aged 18 to 24. In the span of two years, the number of 18-24 year olds in Australia who have used e-cigarettes surpassed 3,000, with the usage rate increasing from 18.5% to 36.5%.

Switzerland: The consumption of snus among Swiss adolescents is on the rise, with an increase in both male and female users.

Research data released by the Swiss Addiction Research Foundation (Sucht Schweiz) shows that consumption of snuff among Swiss adolescents is on the rise. The proportion of 15-year-old boys using snuff at least once a month has doubled from 2018 to 2022, reaching 13%, while the proportion of girls of the same age has increased from 1% to 6%.

Germany: The smoking rate among German teenagers has significantly decreased, while the use of disposable e-cigarettes has increased.

According to the latest survey data released by the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA) in Germany, the proportion of teenage smokers has significantly decreased since 2001. 83% of 12 to 17-year-olds have never smoked, while this number is 47% among young adults aged 18 to 25. The proportion of male teenage smokers has decreased from 27.2% in 2001 to 9.3% in 2015, and is projected to further decrease to 7.2% in 2023. Among female teenage smokers aged 12 to 17, the smoking rate has decreased from 27.9% in 2001 to 6.1% in 2016, and is expected to stabilize at 6.4% in 2023. The proportion of smokers in the 18 to 25 age group is also decreasing.

33.6% of young males and 18.4% of young females are smokers. Meanwhile, disposable e-cigarettes are popular among both the 12-17 year old and 18-25 year old demographics. A survey has revealed that in the past 30 days, approximately 7% of 12-17 year olds and 12% of 18-25 year olds have used disposable e-cigarettes.