Teenage girls in Europe have the highest rate of tobacco use in their age group around the world, while one in seven adolescents across the continent use vapes and e-cigarettes, figures show.
The data, based on analysis by the World Health Organization (WHO), shows that Europe is on course to maintain its status as the world’s biggest consumer of tobacco up to 2030, and reveals “particularly concerning” trends of tobacco use among women and young people.
Four in 10 adult female smokers around the world – about 62 million women – live in Europe, while 4 million teenagers aged 13 to 15 across the continent use tobacco products.
For vapes and e-cigarettes, Europe has the highest prevalence of teenage regular users, at 14.3% of children aged between 13 and 15. Among adults, Europe has the second-highest prevalence of e-cigarette use, after Asia.
Tobacco use causes an estimated 1.1m deaths across Europe each year.
Dr Hans Kluge, the WHO’s regional director for Europe, said that without “accelerated action” Europe would remain the worst-performing region by 2030, and that the high rates of e-cigarette use among children was a result of the industry targeting young people.
“We have a responsibility to change course now: to shield young people from nicotine addiction, prevent industry interference in health policy, and enforce the regulations that will prevent a lifetime of avoidable harm,” Kluge said.
“European girls aged 13 to 15 now have the highest tobacco use rates among their age group anywhere in the world. That is not an accident, it’s the result of deliberate industry strategy targeting young people with flavoured products and sophisticated social media marketing.
“Countries like Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands are proving it is possible to push back by regulating novel products, banning flavours and restricting advertising. Every country in this region should be doing the same, to protect future generations.”
The UK is on track to achieve a 30% relative reduction in tobacco use prevalence among people aged 15 and older, and at 13% has the third lowest rate of tobacco use across Europe, after Turkmenistan and Iceland.
The analysis found that only a third of European countries had smoke-free laws covering all public spaces, and only a quarter had bans on tobacco advertising.
Kristina Mauer-Stender, a regional adviser for tobacco control at WHO Europe, said: “Decades of progress is at risk unless policies keep pace with a rapidly evolving nicotine landscape. Applying the same strong tobacco control tools to new and emerging products is essential if we want to protect young people and sustain public health gains.”
