Over 100 million individuals, including at minimum 15 million minors, presently use e-cigarettes, driving a new trend of nicotine habit, according to latest worldwide health findings.
Youth are, usually, nine times more prone than grown-ups to vape, per existing international figures.
E-cigarettes are propelling a "fresh wave" of nicotine addiction, remarked a leading health official. "They are advertised as risk reduction but, in reality, are addicting children on nicotine sooner and risk compromising decades of progress."
Teens Being 'Focused On'
"Millions of people are stopping, or not taking up tobacco consumption due to tobacco control initiatives by countries throughout the planet," the official commented.
"As an answer to this significant progress, the tobacco industry is fighting back with new nicotine items, actively aiming at young people. Authorities must take action more rapidly and stronger in applying established tobacco-control policies," the representative further stated.
The e-cigarette statistics are an approximation since some states - 109 in all, and several in Africa and Southeast Asia - lack data.
Based on the study, as of this past February this year, at bare minimum 86 million e-cigarette consumers were grown-ups, mostly in high-income nations.
And at bare minimum 15 million adolescents between the ages of 13 and 15 currently vape, per research from 123 nations.
Even though many nations have tried to introduce e-cigarette policies to address youth vaping in recent years, by the close of 2024, 62 states even now had no regulation in operation, and 74 countries had no age restriction at which e-cigarettes can be bought, states the public health authority.
At the same time, tobacco consumption has been decreasing - from an estimated 1.38 billion individuals in 2000 to 1.2 billion in 2024.
Prevalence of tobacco consumption among women decreased the largest - from 11% in 2010 to 6.6% in 2024.
Among men, the drop was from 41.4% in 2010 to 32.5% in 2024.
But 20% of mature individuals worldwide still uses tobacco.
Cigarette consumption is associated to several illnesses, such as cancer.
Professionals state vaping is considerably less damaging than tobacco products, and can aid you cease smoking. It is discouraged for non-smokers.
Electronic cigarettes avoid burning tobacco and avoid generating black substance or carbon monoxide, two of the most damaging elements in tobacco vapors. They contain nicotine, which might be dependency-creating.