Ireland fifth out of 85 countries for percentage of people who vape, WHO survey finds

In Ireland, 11.2% of adults vape compared to 11% of teenagers last year. File photo: AP/Craig Mitchelldyer

Ireland has the fifth highest rate of e-cigarette use out of 85 countries surveyed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) which estimates that 100 million people now use e-cigarettes globally.

The WHO also said children are now nine times more likely than adults to vape on average.

In a startling new report published on Monday, the WHO said while the number of people using tobacco has dropped since 2010 it still found 20% of adults are addicted to tobacco.

WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus welcomed a 27% drop in tobacco use globally. However, he warned: “In response to this strong progress, the tobacco industry is fighting back with new nicotine products, aggressively targeting young people.

“Governments must act faster and stronger in implementing proven tobacco control policies.” 

Of the 100 million people the WHO estimates now use e-cigarettes globally, at least 15 million are children aged 13 to 15. 

It warned of “an incessant chain of new products and technologies” coming from the tobacco industry. These include e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches and heated tobacco products among others.

WHO director general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: 'Governments must act faster and stronger in implementing proven tobacco control policies.' File photo: Johanna Geron/Pool Photo via AP

The health body looked at vaping data from 85 countries. This shows among adults in Ireland some 11.2% vaped last year. Higher rates were only seen in Serbia, Luxembourg, New Zealand and Croatia. Most countries surveyed had a rate of 10% or lower.

Overall, Europe had the second highest rate of vape use, after America, with an estimated overall rate of 4.6% of all adults in the region.

The WHO also compared numbers of adults vaping to numbers of teens aged 13 to 15 across 63 countries. It found in almost all countries surveyed, vape use was higher among children than adults.

However, in Ireland the numbers were similar with 11.2% of adults vaping compared to 11% of young teenagers last year.

Looking at tobacco use in Ireland, it said in the year 2000 some 35.6% of people older than 15 smoked tobacco. This is estimated at 16.7% for this year. It expects a further drop to 14.4% by 2030.

Irish doctors have, however, warned recently these changes are slowing. They have called for a greater focus on the risks from smoking and vaping.

WHO director of health determinants, promotion and prevention department, Etienne Krug warned: 

E-cigarettes are fuelling a new wave of nicotine addiction.

He added: “They are marketed as harm reduction but, in reality, are hooking kids on nicotine earlier and risk undermining decades of progress.” 

The health body also said more women than men are quitting tobacco globally. Europe now has the highest tobacco use rates, it said.

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Some 24.1% of adults smoked last year. European women are more likely to smoke than women in other regions with 17.4% doing so last year.

The report WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco use 2000–2024 and projections 2025–2030 is based on surveys, including Irish ones, covering 97% of the world’s population.