WHO: Electronic cigarettes and tobacco products increasingly popular among young people in Europe
For WHO, the most urgent challenge is to curb the rise in the use of electronic cigarettes, as 14,3 percent of children aged 13 to 15 use them, with almost identical rates for boys and girls.
Despite a decline in tobacco smoking, young Europeans are increasingly being encouraged to use electronic cigarettes and new flavored nicotine products, the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region has warned.
According to a new report, 53 countries in Europe and Central Asia will remain among the world's top tobacco consumers by 2030.
"Tobacco use already causes more than 1,1 million deaths from non-communicable diseases each year in the European Region, and without accelerated action we will be the worst-performing region in the world by 2030," said WHO Director for Europe Hans Kluge.
In 2024, an estimated 173 million people in the WHO European Region were tobacco users.
"We have a responsibility to change course now, to protect young people from nicotine addiction, to prevent industry interference in health policy, and to implement regulations that will prevent avoidable lifelong harm," Kluge said.
It is estimated that four million children aged 13 to 15 use tobacco products in the European region.
For WHO, the most urgent challenge is to curb the rise in the use of electronic cigarettes, as 14,3 percent of children aged 13 to 15 use them, with almost identical rates for boys and girls.
Among adults, Europe, with around 31,4 million users, is second in the world in the use of e-cigarettes, right behind North and South America.
The European region is the only one in the world that is not expected to meet the target of reducing tobacco use among women by 30 percent by 2025. Available data predict a decline of only 12 percent since 2010.
More than 40 percent of the world's adult female smokers - about 62 million - live in the European region, with a smoking prevalence of 17,2 percent, almost double the next highest level of 9,1 percent in the Americas.
This trend is also reflected in e-cigarettes: in almost half of the countries with available data, the WHO noted, the prevalence of e-cigarette use was higher among girls than among boys.
"It's not a coincidence, it's the result of a deliberate industry strategy targeting young people with flavor-forward products and sophisticated social media marketing," Kluge said.
He added that Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands are proving that it is possible to counter this by regulating new products, banning flavors and restricting advertising.
"Every country in the European region should be doing this to protect future generations," Kluge said.
The European Union is targeting tobacco products with a new set of European taxes, and Spain is taking steps to tighten tobacco rules, fining parents if their underage children smoke.
The WHO noted that among the 53 countries in the European Region, only 18 have smoke-free laws covering all public spaces.
Some - France, Finland, Italy and Sweden - are imposing limited bans on beaches, schools and parks.
In the European Union, negotiations on the revision of the Tobacco Taxation Directive continue.
However, the European Commission's initial proposal to increase tax rates by 2028, including on electronic cigarettes and snuff pouches, is facing opposition from member states and a potential delay in the introduction of these measures.
( Beta )