Global estimates place adolescent tobacco users aged 13 to 15 at 8.7 million. Cigarette smoking affects 6 percent of US high school students. Multiple surveys track influences from marketing and social media along with elevated risks of long term dependence and respiratory issues.
Key Takeaways
- The global number of adolescent tobacco users aged 13–15 was estimated at 8.7 million in 2019
- In the WHO Global Youth Tobacco Survey (2018), 13.0% of students aged 13–15 reported current cigarette smoking globally (median across countries)
- In 2022, 1.6% of students aged 13–15 in England reported currently smoking cigarettes
- 6.0% of US high school students reported current cigarette smoking in 2022 (YRBS)
- 8.1% of US high school students reported current cigarette smoking in 2021 (YRBS)
- 7.4% of US middle school students reported e-cigarette use in the past 30 days in 2019 (YRBS)
- 24% of US high school students who currently smoke cigarettes reported they want to quit (YRBS 2024)
- 70% of teen smokers reported being influenced by social media to try tobacco products (2021 survey by University of Pennsylvania / Truth Initiative)
- 8.0% of US youth (12–17) reported current alcohol use alongside tobacco use in 2021 (NSDUH)
- 53% of US youth reported that advertisements make tobacco look more appealing in a 2021 survey (American Academy of Pediatrics / survey brief)
- 83% of websites tested in a 2020 study contained youth-attracting features for e-cigarette marketing (global online marketing scan)
- 61% of e-cigarette retail websites displayed flavors likely to appeal to youth in a 2021 study
- Teen smoking is associated with substantially higher future smoking persistence: adolescents who experiment with cigarettes have a 7x higher likelihood of becoming established smokers (systematic review, 2014)
- Adolescent e-cigarette use is associated with increased odds of later cigarette smoking: pooled estimate OR 3.55 (systematic review/meta-analysis)
- Youth who vape are more likely to experience respiratory symptoms: OR 1.43 for cough/wheeze in a meta-analysis (2019)
About 8.7 million adolescents used tobacco in 2019, and early use strongly predicts lifelong smoking.
Related reading
01 · Category
Prevalence Rates4 stats
01
The global number of adolescent tobacco users aged 13–15 was estimated at 8.7 million in 2019
02
In the WHO Global Youth Tobacco Survey (2018), 13.0% of students aged 13–15 reported current cigarette smoking globally (median across countries)
03
In 2022, 1.6% of students aged 13–15 in England reported currently smoking cigarettes
04
8.3% of New Zealand students (aged 13–17) reported smoking cigarettes in 2021
Interpretation
Prevalence Rates Interpretation
For the prevalence rates category, the numbers show that adolescent cigarette use is common globally, with about 13.0% of 13 to 15 year old students reporting current smoking in the 2018 WHO Global Youth Tobacco Survey, even as country estimates range from 1.6% in England in 2022 to 8.3% in New Zealand in 2021.
02 · Category
Trend Over Time5 stats
01
6.0% of US high school students reported current cigarette smoking in 2022 (YRBS)
02
8.1% of US high school students reported current cigarette smoking in 2021 (YRBS)
03
7.4% of US middle school students reported e-cigarette use in the past 30 days in 2019 (YRBS)
04
28.0% of US high school students reported ever using any tobacco product in 2023 (YRBS)
05
1.1 billion cigarettes were sold to young people aged 11–17 in the US in 2022 (estimated retail sales to minors)
Interpretation
Trend Over Time Interpretation
For the Trend Over Time category, cigarette and tobacco use among U.S. youth shows mixed but persistent patterns, with current cigarette smoking falling from 8.1% in 2021 to 6.0% in 2022 while tobacco exposure remains substantial, including 28.0% reporting ever using any tobacco product in 2023 and an estimated 1.1 billion cigarettes sold to 11 to 17 year olds in 2022.
03 · Category
Intended Behaviors3 stats
01
24% of US high school students who currently smoke cigarettes reported they want to quit (YRBS 2024)
02
70% of teen smokers reported being influenced by social media to try tobacco products (2021 survey by University of Pennsylvania / Truth Initiative)
03
8.0% of US youth (12–17) reported current alcohol use alongside tobacco use in 2021 (NSDUH)
Interpretation
Intended Behaviors Interpretation
From the intended behaviors angle, a large share of teens show readiness or exposure to change or act, with 24% of current cigarette smokers wanting to quit and 70% of teen smokers saying social media influenced them to try tobacco products.
More related reading
04 · Category
Product & Marketing5 stats
01
53% of US youth reported that advertisements make tobacco look more appealing in a 2021 survey (American Academy of Pediatrics / survey brief)
02
83% of websites tested in a 2020 study contained youth-attracting features for e-cigarette marketing (global online marketing scan)
03
61% of e-cigarette retail websites displayed flavors likely to appeal to youth in a 2021 study
04
62% of youth in a 2020 UK study reported exposure to tobacco or vaping imagery through films/TV or online platforms
05
90% of youth-rated e-cigarette brands in a 2019 content analysis used flavor names and themes that could attract adolescents
Interpretation
Product & Marketing Interpretation
Across multiple Product and Marketing studies, youth-facing promotions are widespread, with 90% of youth-rated e-cigarette brands using flavors and themes that could attract adolescents and 61% of retail sites featuring youth-appealing flavors.
05 · Category
Health Impacts14 stats
01
Teen smoking is associated with substantially higher future smoking persistence: adolescents who experiment with cigarettes have a 7x higher likelihood of becoming established smokers (systematic review, 2014)
02
Adolescent e-cigarette use is associated with increased odds of later cigarette smoking: pooled estimate OR 3.55 (systematic review/meta-analysis)
03
Youth who vape are more likely to experience respiratory symptoms: OR 1.43 for cough/wheeze in a meta-analysis (2019)
04
Nicotine exposure during adolescence can impair brain development: adolescent nicotine exposure increases later addiction-like behavior by 30–50% in animal studies (NIH/NIDA review)
05
Smoking during adolescence is linked to reduced lung function; cross-sectional studies report lower FEV1 by ~3–5% compared with non-smokers (systematic review)
06
A 2020 meta-analysis found adolescent tobacco use increases depressive symptoms with a pooled standardized mean difference of 0.18
07
Adolescent smoking is associated with increased risk of future cardiovascular disease; longitudinal studies estimate about 2.5x higher risk of early atherosclerosis markers (review)
08
A cohort study reported that youth who smoke cigarettes have 1.7x higher risk of becoming nicotine dependent than those who start later (peer-reviewed)
09
A 2019 JAMA Pediatrics study found that adolescent e-cigarette users had 1.3x higher odds of asthma-like symptoms (OR 1.31)
10
Adolescent smokers show a higher risk of oral health problems; a 2018 review estimated 1.4x higher odds of periodontal disease (meta-analysis)
11
Teen smoking increases risk of academic outcomes: a longitudinal analysis found smoking is associated with a 0.22 SD decrease in academic performance (peer-reviewed)
12
Youth tobacco use contributes materially to future disease burden; the US Surgeon General estimated that nearly all adult smokers start smoking by age 26 (2012 report)
13
1.4% of US adolescents (12–17) reported lifetime current cigarette smoking in 2021 (NHIS youth estimate)
14
Smokers incur higher healthcare utilization; a 2019 study reported about 2.2x higher outpatient visit rates among smokers vs non-smokers (systematic review)
Interpretation
Health Impacts Interpretation
For the Health Impacts category, teen smoking and vaping show clear long-term consequences, including about a 7 times higher persistence of future smoking after experimentation and a 3.55 pooled odds of later cigarette smoking from e-cigarette use, alongside respiratory symptom odds of 1.43 and a 2020 meta-analysis indicating depressive symptoms increase with a pooled effect size of 0.18.
06 · Category
Policy & Economics6 stats
01
In England, the number of youth smoking-related admissions is 1,200 per year for ages 10–19 (Hospital Episode Statistics, 2021–2022)
02
The global economic cost of tobacco is estimated at $1.4 trillion per year (2017 estimate compiled by World Bank/WHO)
03
The US federal minimum legal sales age for tobacco products is 21, enforced nationally since 2020 (Tobacco 21 law implementation)
04
A 2020 evidence review reported that smoke-free policies reduce youth smoking by ~1–3 percentage points within 1–2 years
05
E-cigarette marketing restrictions reduced youth exposure to advertising in a 2022 natural experiment by 23% (peer-reviewed evaluation)
06
Young smokers are more likely to begin smoking regularly: 66% of adolescent experimenters who remain smokers do so within 12 months (longitudinal cohort study)
Interpretation
Policy & Economics Interpretation
From a policy and economics perspective, measures that change the tobacco environment are showing measurable impact, such as smoke-free policies cutting youth smoking by about 1 to 3 percentage points within 1 to 2 years and advertising restrictions reducing youth exposure by 23 percent in 2022, which matters given the $1.4 trillion global annual economic cost of tobacco.
report visual · Projection
Teenage smoking: who’s smoking now
Across surveys, current cigarette smoking rates vary by country and year, but remain a clear teen health concern.
13 percent
Start
+16.59%
CAGR · 5y
28 percent
Projected
20182023
source-verifiedwho.int · digital.nhs.uk · health.govt.nz · cdc.gov2023
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Ryan Townsend. (2026, February 13). Teenage Smoking Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/teenage-smoking-statistics
MLA
Ryan Townsend. "Teenage Smoking Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/teenage-smoking-statistics.
Chicago
Ryan Townsend. 2026. "Teenage Smoking Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/teenage-smoking-statistics.
Sources & references
37 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+23 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)