Published: October 6, 2025 | Source: World Health Organization (WHO)

The world is smoking less, but the fight against tobacco addiction is far from over. A new WHO Global Tobacco Trends Report reveals that global tobacco use has dropped from 1.38 billion users in 2000 to 1.2 billion in 2024 — a 27% decline. However, 1 in 5 adults still uses tobacco or nicotine products, causing millions of preventable deaths every year.

“The tobacco industry is now targeting young people with e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches,” warned Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

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⚠️ Rise of E-Cigarettes and Vaping

For the first time, WHO included data on e-cigarette use, revealing over 100 million global users, including 15 million adolescents aged 13–15. Children are nine times more likely than adults to vape, raising concerns about a new generation addicted to nicotine.

WHO officials say that e-cigarettes marketed as “harm reduction” are actually creating new nicotine addictions and undermining decades of anti-tobacco progress.

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👩‍⚕️ Women Leading Tobacco Quitting Trends

Women have shown remarkable progress in quitting tobacco. Between 2010 and 2024, female tobacco use dropped from 11% to 6.6%, meeting the 2030 reduction goal five years early.
In contrast, men — who make up 80% of all tobacco users — are not expected to meet targets until 2031.

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🌍 Global Tobacco Use by Region

• South-East Asia: Major progress, men’s use down from 70% to 37%.
• Africa: Lowest prevalence (9.5%) but rising absolute numbers due to population growth.
• Americas: 36% reduction, now at 14%.
• Europe: Highest adult prevalence (24.1%), with women leading global rates at 17.4%.
• Eastern Mediterranean: Tobacco use rising in some nations (18%).
• Western Pacific: Slowest progress — men’s use remains high at 43.3%.

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🛑 WHO Calls for Stronger Tobacco Control

WHO urges all governments to:

• Enforce the MPOWER measures and WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
• Ban tobacco and e-cigarette advertising targeting youth.
• Raise taxes on tobacco and nicotine products.
• Expand cessation programs to help millions quit.

“Nearly 20% of adults still use tobacco — the progress is real but not enough,” said Dr. Jeremy Farrar, WHO Assistant Director-General.

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🧾 About the Report

The 2025 WHO Global Report on Tobacco Use is based on 2,034 national surveys covering 97% of the global population. While the world has achieved a 27% reduction in use since 2000, the goal of a 30% reduction by 2025 is still 50 million users short.