Geneva: Global tobacco use has dropped significantly over the past 15 years, but one in five adults around the world remains addicted, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported. In its latest analysis covering smoking trends from 2010 to 2024, the WHO said tobacco use fell from 26.2 percent in 2010 to 19.5 percent in 2024, a decline that nevertheless fails to end what it continues to describe as a global epidemic.

According to Philippines News Agency, the UN health agency projects further reductions in the coming years but warns that new nicotine products are threatening recent gains. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that millions are quitting or avoiding tobacco due to strong governmental control measures. However, the tobacco industry is countering by promoting new nicotine products and targeting young people, necessitating faster and stronger governmental actions.

For the first time, the WHO's report included global estimates of e-cigarette use, revealing that over 100 million people now vape, including 86 million adults and at least 15 million adolescents aged 13 to 15. The report highlighted that teenage use of e-cigarettes is, on average, nine times higher than adult use, prompting a call for tighter regulations to prevent the industry from targeting the next generation.

Etienne Krug, WHO Director for Social Determinants of Health, emphasized that e-cigarettes are fueling a new wave of nicotine addiction. They are marketed as safer alternatives, but in reality, they are hooking kids on nicotine and undermining decades of progress. Currently, one in 10 adolescents worldwide reported using at least one form of tobacco product.

The WHO report also highlighted major regional differences. Southeast Asia, once the world's smoking hotspot, saw the biggest decline, with tobacco use among men dropping from 70 percent in 2000 to 37 percent in 2024, accounting for more than half of the global decrease. In 2024, Europe recorded the largest number of smokers, followed by the Western Pacific region, while Africa had the lowest tobacco use rate.

While global smoking rates are projected to keep falling through 2030, WHO officials urged countries not to become complacent. Jeremy Farrar, WHO Assistant Director-General for Health Promotion, stressed that nearly 20 percent of adults still use tobacco and nicotine products, indicating that efforts to combat tobacco addiction must continue unabated.