The rate of adolescents using e-cigarettes is 9 times that of adults.

(Dan Tri) - The World Health Organization (WHO) has for the first time released alarming figures on the number of people using e-cigarettes globally.

The report estimates that nearly 100 million people worldwide are using e-cigarettes, including at least 86 million, mostly in high-income countries, and nearly 14.7 million adolescents aged 13-15.

The report added that the global rate of youth using e-cigarettes is 7.2%, higher than the 5.1% rate of the same group smoking cigarettes (about 20.4 million people).

In the countries surveyed, teenagers were on average nine times more likely to smoke e-cigarettes than adults.

WHO warns of rising number of 13- to 15-year-olds vaping globally (Illustration: Shutterstock).

The industry is promoting vapes, e-cigarettes and similar products as being less harmful than cigarettes, the United Nations Health Organization says.

But in reality, these are the products that make young people susceptible to dependence on this stimulant.

“E-cigarettes are fueling a new wave of nicotine addiction, getting children addicted to nicotine earlier and risking undermining decades of human progress,” said Etienne Krug, Director of the WHO Social Determinants of Health Department.

The WHO report also emphasized that the number of smokers is decreasing but the problem of tobacco use still shows no signs of decreasing.

"Millions of people are stopping or reducing their tobacco use thanks to control efforts by countries around the world," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Globally, fewer people are smoking, with the number of tobacco users falling from 1.38 billion in 2000 to 1.2 billion in 2024, while the world's population has increased.

The tobacco industry is changing tactics to maintain sales with new nicotine products, aggressively targeting young users.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has called on governments to review and address legal loopholes that allow the e-cigarette industry to target young people, and to regulate e-cigarettes and other nicotine-containing products.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/ty-le-thanh-thieu-nien-su-dung-thuoc-la-dien-tu-gap-9-lan-nguoi-lon-20251007163201705.htm