Smoking on the decline: E-cigarettes on the rise among young people!

Smoking on the decline: E-cigarettes on the rise among young people!

There is a decline in tobacco consumption in Austria as fewer and fewer people are turning to cigarettes. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the global proportion of smokers is about 19%, down from 23% a decade ago. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlights that thanks to global tobacco control measures, many people are quitting smoking or not even starting. However, these successes do not come without challenges, particularly the growing interest in e-cigarettes.

Currently, over 100 million people worldwide use e-cigarettes, with young people in particular being the target group. WHO expert Etienne Krug warns that these products could be encouraging a new wave of nicotine addiction, despite their lower levels of harmful substances compared to traditional cigarettes. Even though e-cigarettes are marketed as less harmful, they pose health risks and can promote early addiction to nicotine.

The decline in tobacco consumption

The number of smokers has fallen from 1.38 billion since the turn of the millennium to 1.2 billion in 2024. This represents a decrease of approximately 13%. The decline in the proportion of smokers is particularly pronounced in Southeast Asia, while in Europe the decline is less pronounced, especially among women. At more than 17%, European women have the highest proportion of smokers in the world.

In Germany, around one in four adults currently smokes, with the number of daily smokers being in the double-digit million range. At 61 percent, the proportion of non-smokers among young people is higher than ever before, which gives hope for a future reduction in tobacco consumption.

Measures against tobacco addiction

The WHO is calling on governments to take greater action to combat tobacco addiction. These include, among other things, higher tobacco taxes, advertising bans and the expansion of cessation programs. In Germany, an estimated 140,000 people can succumb to the effects of smoking every year, which highlights the urgency of an intensive fight against smoking.

Warnings about the consequences of smoking are among the most widespread anti-smoking measures and are firmly established in over 110 countries. Despite these successes, the road to complete tobacco control remains long, particularly with the emergence of new nicotine products that primarily appeal to youth.

Public awareness and action to reduce tobacco consumption are crucial to support continued smoking declines and protect public health.

You can find more information on this topic on the websites of Krone, Zeit and Statista.