Portugal is among the countries with the lowest prevalence of e-cigarette use among adults, according to the new World Health Organization’s (WHO) global report on tobacco consumption.
The “WHO Global Report on Trends in Tobacco Prevalence 2000-2024 and Projections 2025-2030,” based on 2,034 national surveys conducted between 1990 and 2024, covering 97% of the world’s population, states that only 1% of Portuguese adults reported using these devices in 2023.
This figure is similar to that recorded in Romania and Hungary, and only slightly higher than in China (0.7%) and Senegal (0.4%).
Among young people aged 13 to 15, the prevalence of e-cigarette use rises to 5%, yet Portugal remains below the global average of 7.2%.
However, the WHO notes that Portugal maintains a conventional tobacco consumption rate above the world average (19.5%), reaching 28.6% of the population. Among men, the rate is 34.8%, and among women, 22.5% — nearly four times the global female average.
Globally, the number of conventional tobacco smokers has decreased since the beginning of the century from 1.38 billion people to 1.24 billion in 2024, yet the worldwide prevalence remains 19.5%, according to the WHO.
The decline has been more pronounced among women, with the rate falling from 16.5% in 2000 to 6.6% over 25 years. Among men, the reduction was less significant, decreasing from 49.8% to 32.5% over the same period.
Among the 85 countries analyzed, the highest rates of e-cigarette use were observed in Serbia (18.4%), Luxembourg (17%), and New Zealand (14%). In contrast, African and Asian countries like Uganda reported minimal levels, below 0.1%.
Globally, the WHO estimates that 1.9% of the population over 15 years old currently uses e-cigarettes, which amounts to approximately 86 million adults — 53 million men and 34 million women.
The WHO warns of increased e-cigarette use among adolescents, estimating that at least 15 million young people aged 13 to 15 smoke these devices worldwide.
