Vaping is becoming more popular in many countries as cultural attitudes and health concerns surrounding cigarettes continue to change. Electronic cigarettes are especially popular among young adults in America, and the U.S. is the global leader in e-cigarette market growth.
While vaping is not completely free from health risks, it is embraced in some countries, like Sweden and the United Kingdom, as a smoking cessation tool to reduce harm from tobacco use. E-cigarettes do not contain tobacco, while most contain nicotine – giving users who want nicotine a tobacco-free alternative to cigarettes.
In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states e-cigarettes "have the potential to benefit adults who smoke," as long as they are not pregnant, if they completely switch from regular cigarettes to e-cigarettes.
Additionally, the British National Health Service says vaping is "substantially less harmful than smoking," but of course does not encourage high school students or people under the age of 18 to use e-cigarettes.
We've put together 10 important e-cigarette statistics that show you how use of e-cigarettes is growing in popularity nationally as well as on a global scale.
Key Takeaways
1. The U.S. is tied for the second most popular country for e-cigarettes, with use growing from 11% to 15% since 2020 (Source)
According to a Statista Consumer Insights survey of selected countries, 15% of American adults use e-cigarettes at least occasionally, tying with Switzerland for second place. However, Indonesia is clearly the most popular country for e-cigarettes use, with roughly one in four respondents saying they use a vape pen or vaporizer.
The study surveyed 1,000 to 9,500 adults aged 18-64 in each country.
Rounding out the top 10 are the United Kingdom and Canada, tied at 13%, Italy and France, tied at 9%, Germany at 7%, Brazil at 6%, and Morocco at 2%.
This indicates a 4% increase since 2020 among Americans, but a 4% decrease in France, a 1% decrease in the United Kingdom, and a 2% decrease in Germany.
2. In the U.S., e-cigarettes are more popular among young adults, with the 18-24 age group using vapes the most (Source)
A study of vaping in America found that 11% of adults aged 18-24, or Gen Z, use a vape pen either "every day" or "some days." The third option on the survey was "not at all."
In this age group of young people, vaping was more popular among men than women, with 11.6% of men using e-cigarettes at least some days, while only 10.3% of women did the same.
The second-most popular age group was 25-44, with 6.5% of respondents vaping at least occasionally. Vaping was also more popular among men in this age group, and the divide was significantly wider – 7.9% of men used e-cigarettes while only 5.1% of women did.
Meanwhile, only 2% of Americans aged 45 and over used e-cigarettes. Interestingly, this is the only age group where vaping was more prevalent among women – if only slightly. The survey found 2% of women over 45 used vape pens at least some days while 1.9% of men did the same.
3. The e-cigarette market is projected to generate a revenue of $26 billion in 2024 (Source)
The global e-cigarette market has been exploding for the past decade, and this trend is expected to continue. In fact, projections for the end of 2024 estimate the market will have grown by $10 billion since 2018, from $16 billion to $26 billion.
By 2025, it's expected the e-cigarette market will be worth $27.2 billion and that it will continue to grow to $29.3 billion by the end of 2028 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.06%.
The U.S. is the leading force in revenue growth, with the national market expected to generate $8.826 billion in 2024. This represents more than one third of expected global revenue generation for 2024. This is perhaps not surprising as the percentage of Americans who are cigarette smokers continues to drop.
Per capita revenue generation for 2024 is projected to be $3.99. In 2018 the per capita revenue generated was $2.61 and in 2028 it's projected to increase to $4.33.
Other important e-cigarette statistics
- White, non-Hispanic adults are the racial or ethnic demographic most likely to vape in the U.S., at 5.2%. Additionally, 3.3% of Hispanic or Latino Americans vape, 2.9% of Asian Americans vape, and 2.4% of Black or African American people vape. (Source)
- Among all U.S. adults, 3.2% use e-cigarettes only, 10.2% smoke tobacco cigarettes only, and just 1.3% use both. However, adults aged 18-24 are much more likely to use e-cigarettes only (9.2%) versus cigarette smoking only (3.6%), and 1.8% use both. (Source)
- Adults aged 18-44 are more likely to engage in dual use of both cigarettes and e-cigarettes than adults age 45 and older. (Source)
- Use of vape pens generally declines among adults as family income increases. An estimated 5.8% of Americans whose family income is less than twice the federal poverty level (FPL) are current e-cigarette users, versus 4.8% of those whose income ranges between two and four times the FPL, and just 3.6% of adults with income of four times the FPL and higher. (Source)
- Among college students, e-cigarettes are more popular than other nicotine products, at 75%. By comparison, 44% smoke traditional cigarettes, 14% smoke cigars, 9.2% use chewing or smokeless tobacco, 7.8% use a water pipe or hookah, and 5% use other tobacco products. (Source)
- Tennessee, Kentucky, and Oklahoma are the states where e-cigarettes are most popular.
- In Tennessee, 5.7% of adults vape daily and 5.2% vape some days.
- In Kentucky, 6% vape every day and 4.5% vape some days.
- In Oklahoma, 6% vape every day and 5% vape some days.
The study average for adults who vape daily was 3.8%, and 4% for adults who vape some days. (Source)
- E-cigarette popularity is growing fastest in Idaho, North Dakota, and Alabama. According to a 2024 Forbes article, vaping increased 5.4% in both Idaho and North Dakota between 2016 and 2022. Additionally vaping increased 5.3% in North Dakota.
VapeSourcing for e-cigarettes and other vaping products
At VapeSourcing, we will ship a wide range of e-cigarettes and accessories to you. These include vapes, vape kits, vaporizers, disposable e-cigarettes, mods, atomizers, e-liquids, and hemp.
If you have questions please contact us or see our FAQ for more information.
