WHO Tobacco Trends Report 2025: Global Decline Undermined by E-Cigarette Surge
SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being | SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
Institutions: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
The WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use (2000–2024) shows that while global tobacco control efforts are working, the epidemic is “far from over,” with one in five adults still using tobacco worldwide. The total number of users dropped from 1.38 billion in 2000 to 1.2 billion in 2024, marking a 27% relative decline since 2010. Women are leading this decline, having hit the global reduction target for 2025 five years early. However, this progress is countered by two major threats:
E-Cigarette Surge: For the first time, WHO estimates that more than 100 million people globally are now vaping, including at least 15 million adolescents (aged 13–15). In countries with data, children are on average nine times more likely to vape than adults, with the tobacco industry aggressively introducing these new nicotine products.
Slow Progress in Men: Over four out of five tobacco users worldwide are men (just under 1 billion), and the current pace of reduction is too slow; men are not expected to meet the 2025 target until 2031. The Western Pacific region now has the highest male prevalence (43.3%), while Europe has the highest overall prevalence (24.1%), driven by high use among women (17.4%).
The WHO urges governments to accelerate tobacco control by fully implementing the MPOWER package (which includes raising taxes, banning advertising, and expanding cessation services) and regulating new nicotine products like e-cigarettes to prevent a new wave of addiction, especially among youth.
This report highlights that India’s policy focus must not only maintain the current decline in traditional tobacco use but also decisively counter the alarming, rapid uptake of e-cigarettes and other new nicotine products by aggressively enforcing the ban on these items and expanding cessation services to reach the billion-men user base.
Follow the full report here: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240116276