The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised alarm over a growing global crisis of nicotine addiction driven by e-cigarettes, warning that millions of children are now hooked on vaping. According to the UN health agency, vaping has become a major public health concern, with children nine times more likely to use e-cigarettes than adults in countries where data is available.
In its latest report, the WHO revealed that more than 100 million people worldwide are currently vaping. This includes around 86 million adults—mostly in high-income countries—and at least 15 million children between the ages of 13 and 15. The agency emphasized that these figures represent a deeply troubling trend that threatens to reverse decades of progress in tobacco control.
“E-cigarettes are fuelling a new wave of nicotine addiction,” said Etienne Krug, WHO Director for Health Promotion and Prevention. “They are marketed as harm-reduction products, but in reality, they are hooking young people on nicotine earlier and putting long-term health at risk.”
The WHO accused the tobacco industry of aggressively promoting vapes as safer alternatives to traditional cigarettes while deliberately targeting youth through attractive flavors, packaging, and social media campaigns. Officials warned that this marketing strategy is undermining global efforts to reduce smoking rates and could create a new generation of nicotine-dependent individuals.
While global tobacco use has declined from 1.38 billion users in 2000 to 1.2 billion in 2024, the number of e-cigarette users has surged. The WHO noted that one in five adults worldwide remains addicted to tobacco, and the industry is shifting its tactics by introducing new nicotine products to maintain profits.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said millions have quit smoking due to strict tobacco control policies, but the industry’s focus on vaping is reversing that progress. “Governments must act faster and stronger in implementing proven tobacco control measures,” he urged.
The organization reported that tobacco use is once again increasing in 12 countries, a reversal that could lead to millions of preventable deaths. WHO officials also highlighted that smoking kills more than seven million people annually, with another one million dying from exposure to second-hand smoke.
Health experts warned that smoking and vaping damage nearly every organ in the body. The WHO urged parents and policymakers to protect children from nicotine exposure and called for stronger regulations to curb e-cigarette marketing and sales.
