Although global smoking rates have dropped significantly over the past decade and a half, tobacco continues to claim millions of lives each year. According to the World Health Organization’s latest report, “Trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000-24 and projections 2025-30,” one in five adults worldwide is still hooked on tobacco.
Tobacco use fell from 26.2% in 2010 to 19.5% in 2024, marking substantial progress. However, the UN health agency warns that the epidemic is “FAR FROM OVER” The WHO projects that usage will continue to decline, but at a slower pace, as new nicotine products flood the market.
Industry Pushback and New Nicotine Threats:
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised countries for their tobacco control achievements but cautioned against industry counter-strategies.
“Millions of people are stopping, or not taking up, tobacco use thanks to tobacco control efforts by countries around the world,” he said. In response to this strong progress, the tobacco industry is fighting back with new nicotine products, aggressively targeting young people.
The report includes the first global estimate of e-cigarette use among adults and youth. It found that more than 100 million people worldwide are now vaping, including 86 million adults and at least 15 million adolescents aged 13-15. Alarmingly, adolescent vaping rates are nine times higher than adult rates in many countries.
Southeast Asia, once the world’s biggest smoking hotspot has seen tobacco use among men drop from 70% in 2000 to 37% in 2024, accounting for more than half of the global decline.
In contrast, Europe now has the largest number of smokers, followed by the Western Pacific, while Africa records the lowest prevalence.
Call for Stronger Tobacco Control
WHO officials stress that nearly 20% of adults still use tobacco or nicotine products, calling on governments to strengthen policies, close regulatory loopholes, and address the rise in e-cigarette use.
“E-cigarettes are fuelling a new wave of nicotine addiction,” said Etienne Krug, WHO’s Director for Social Determinants of Health.
Projections through 2030 suggest further global decline, but the WHO warns that without stronger regulation, decades of progress could be undone by emerging nicotine products.