The world is smoking less than it did two decades ago, but tobacco addiction remains a global health crisis. According to a new World Health Organization (WHO) report, the number of tobacco users has dropped from 1.38 billion in 2000 to 1.2 billion in 2024 — a decline of 120 million people since 2010, or 27% in relative terms. Yet tobacco still hooks one in five adults worldwide, causing millions of preventable deaths every year.

“Millions of people are stopping, or not taking up, tobacco use thanks to tobacco control efforts by countries around the world,”

said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

“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.”

A growing concern: E-cigarettes and youth addiction

For the first time, WHO has estimated the global use of e-cigarettes — and the results are alarming. More than 100 million people worldwide are now vaping, including at least 86 million adults (mostly in high-income countries) and 15 million adolescents aged 13–15. In countries where data are available, children are nine times more likely than adults to use e-cigarettes.

The WHO warns that the tobacco industry is continually introducing new nicotine products — including e-cigarettes, heated tobacco devices, and nicotine pouches — to sustain addiction and attract new users, particularly young people.

“E-cigarettes are fuelling a new wave of nicotine addiction,”

said Dr Etienne Krug, WHO Director of Health Determinants, Promotion and Prevention Department.

“They are marketed as harm reduction but, in reality, are hooking kids on nicotine earlier and risk undermining decades of progress.”

Women quitting faster than men

The report shows that while both men and women are smoking less, women have led the way in quitting tobacco. They reached WHO’s 2025 global reduction target five years early, achieving a 30% decline back in 2020. Tobacco use among women dropped from 11% in 2010 to 6.6% in 2024, with the total number of female users falling from 277 million to 206 million.

Men, however, are moving more slowly. More than four out of five tobacco users are still men, and nearly one billion men worldwide continue to use tobacco. Although prevalence among men has declined from 41.4% in 2010 to 32.5% in 2024, the progress is too gradual to meet the 2025 goal, which men are not expected to reach until 2031.

Regional trends

• South-East Asia: Once the global hotspot for tobacco use, prevalence among men has almost halved — from 70% in 2000 to 37% in 2024. The region alone accounts for more than half of the world’s total decline.
• Africa: With prevalence at 9.5%, Africa now has the lowest tobacco use of all regions and is on track to meet the 30% reduction target. However, population growth means the absolute number of users is still rising.
• Americas: Achieved a 36% relative reduction, with prevalence dropping to 14% in 2024, though data gaps remain in some countries.
• Europe: Now the region with the highest tobacco prevalence globally, at 24.1%, and with women’s tobacco use at 17.4%, the highest in the world.
• Eastern Mediterranean: Prevalence stands at 18%, with some countries still showing an upward trend.
• Western Pacific: Tobacco use fell only slightly, from 25.8% in 2010 to 22.9% in 2024 — the slowest progress globally. Men in this region have the highest prevalence of all, at 43.3%, while women’s use remains low at 2.5%.

What needs to happen next

The WHO is calling on all governments to strengthen tobacco control measures by fully implementing and enforcing the MPOWER package and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. This includes closing regulatory loopholes that allow nicotine products to reach children, raising tobacco taxes, banning advertising, and expanding cessation services to help more people quit.

“Nearly 20% of adults still use tobacco and nicotine products. We cannot let up now,”

said Dr Jeremy Farrar, WHO Assistant Director-General for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention and Care.

“The world has made gains, but stronger, faster action is the only way to beat the tobacco epidemic.”

---